Skyline Hunters
by ZylerZodiac
Summary: (SYOC, sheet is at the end of chapter three, so you have to read enough of it to understand the location and elements) On the Continent of North Wen, a group of Adventurers try to manage things and fix the apocalypse. Follow the madness, from their darkest moments, to their happy comedic moments. From all the action, to everything else.
1. Chapter 1:Apocalypse Part 2

**Chapter 1: Apocalypse Part 2**

"Get down, Akamaru" the boy shouted to his Red Fox Familiar as he took cover behind a wall of an abandoned building. Multiple magical projectiles flew by, as well as one or two arrows.

"What is it, Azato?" the Akamaru asked.

"Its a hunt. We are being hunted by playerkillers" Azato replied, as he took out a rifle and fired back. He had to pull a part back after every shot before he could fire again, but he was fast and used to it.

Various projectiles rained down upon his position, when he started running across the floor to another corner of the building. A few moments later, a fireball hit, vaporizing everything.

Aza brought up his command menu, and looked at all the casting and recasting times. And then, he used a magical item, Living Map of the Ages, to find the positions of everyone around him.

"Uh oh, looks like we are surrounded" he mentioned, looking at all of their movements.

* * *

Earlier Today...

"...what the...did I pass out at my keyboard or something?" the boy mumbled as he started to stand up. It was sunny though, which bothered him for a bit. And then, he noticed he was laying in a grassy field. He also noticed he was no longer in his room, and that he was out in the open. But most importantly...it did not look like anyplace near where he lived.

That was when he looked over to a pool of water nearby, and saw his reflection. He appeared to be a young boy, maybe around twelve. It was the same height as himself in the real world, though he was older then twelve. He also has Foxtail ears and a fox tail, though unlike others his a bit more slim, though could still be considered bushy. His hair is an amber-brown, and his eyes are blue. He was wearing a deep blue cloak with red trimming and a hood, a white T shirt, black shorts, brown sturdy boots, and a powerful rifle slung across his back. His height is short, and some of his long hair was tied into a sort of loose ponytail.

In other words...his body now resembled his game avatar, though his game avatar was styled to look like himself as well.

"Eh...ehhh?!" he said, as he looked around and confirmed. Now that he looked around, he realized it. Everything was the same as the MMORPG, Elder Tales. He was inside the game somehow it seemed. Which, given the fact they didn't have any fancy virtual reality or simulation gear, seemed very strange.

However, that did not change the fact that it was true. Everything was the same as the Elder Tales he knew, just...he was inside it too now. He panicked a bit, but calmed himself down and thought about this objectively, sitting cross legged in the middle of the field and zoning out the panicked cries of others who were just realizing what he did.

_Okay, lets think for a moment. Is this a dream? No, its too real, too lucid. I can feel everything, hear everything, smell everything. Liklihood of this being a weird dream is low. Lets think then...virtual reality? Theoretically possible, but from what I can hear, it sounds like everyone is confused, and we all appeared at the same time. Plus, none of us know of any full VR simulations like this, and assuming that there are more then just us online, that would indicate an outrageously large amount of people to all kidnap at once and trap in VR machines. Which meant, the only thing left would be...we got sucked into the game world somehow, or a fantasy world created that was based on the game world._

That was the conclusion he came to. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing which path to go on. Were they sucked into the computers, the servers themselves, or were they sucked into a fantasy world created based on this one? Either scenario in a way relies on things he did not know how to explain. But the ramifications were totally different for each indication. Still, within twenty four hours, he would have a good idea on which theory was more plausible. He just had to wait, and see what happens.

"Right...okay...Menu, open" Azato shouted, but nothing happened. "Okay, so its not a voice command thing. Uhhh...alright then".

He got up, and went towards what looked like an abandoned building. He wanted to get out of sight, and out of mind, so that not only would no one hassle him, but he could test things out without getting embarrassed. Once he had isolated himself, he proceeded to experiment with gestures, until finally, he got his menu open.

"Alright...lets try log out" he said, pressing it, but was denied. "Yeah, I kinda figured as much. Oh, I wonder if the others are online".

He opened up his friends list, and began checking things out. It seemed that some people were listed as offline, but he had a lot of people that were online too. And that was when he saw a familiar name, and tapped it, giving him a call on the telepathic link.

It rang for a few moments, but then finally, it was picked up.

"Oh..Aza, is that you?"

"Ah! Zats! Are you okay?"

"Not really! I am really freaking out over here! I am currently in my place on Tenth Block. Can you come over here, please?"

"Ah, sure! I will be right over!"

* * *

It took Aza some time, but eventually, he made it over to Zats place on tenth block. It was a private zone he had, an apartment that could house a few people cozily but comfortably. The Foxtail boy opened the door, having permission to enter the zone, and came across a young maid, cleaning the floor. At first glance, people might think it was a girl, wearing that maid outfit, but it was actually a boy. Zats.

As he encountered him, he saw a box appear in front of him, detailing Zats profile.

Character Name: Zats

Race: Human

Class: Level 90 Assassin

Subclass: Level 90 Elder Maid

Guild: None

Yes, the boy in front of him was a Level 90 Assassin, and a Level 90 Elder Maid. It was an interesting combination, for sure. But he made it work.

Incidentally, he still believed he had to wear a maid outfit when doing maid stuff. It was a prank that he and the others had pulled on Zats, meant to be a lighthearted comment. They never thought he would actually believe it though, or keep following through with it.

"Ah...hey, Zats. So I guess you were online when the expansion hit?"

That was right. Today, the new expansion was activating across the world. As Elder Tales had been created in America (That's a fact by the way, I looked it up. Its American Made), even though the update was going live for the Japan Server at Midnight, America was getting it released at the same time as it was where the game was originally made. They did not know the situation with the other servers, but then again, if the thing he was waiting for did not happen, he doubt it would have mattered who got the update and who did not.

"Hey. Yeah. Everyone else was going to come online too right?"

"Yeah, we all planned to meet up the moment the expansion dropped. So everyone else should be online. You were just the first name I came across".

Zats just kept on cleaning, despite everything that is going on. He didn't even care that while on his hands and knees, the maid outfit he was wearing was the one with a short skirt...and he wasn't wearing any.

"...err, Zats…"

"Ah, would you like some tea?"

"...sure. But you know, I think it would be fine to give the roleplay a rest...and put some pants...on..."

Suddenly, he felt a glare of bloodlust coming from Zats.

"...some of us process stress in different ways. Now...what kind of tea?"

"A...ah...whatever is best".

He then got up, and went to get some tea.

"Very good. Please remember to take off your shoes before you enter any further, and feel free to dress in comfortable clothes".

Eventually, Zats came back with some tea for them both, and they sat around a table. Azato was now wearing some more casual clothes, and was barefoot, having taken his shoes off by the door.

"...and that is my interpretation of what I think is going on".

"So, you are waiting to see what happens, before you decide to choose between one of those two theories and work from there?"

"Yep" Aza said, as took a sip of the tea. "Huh, this is really great tea".

"Thanks! I made it myself!"

"Ah...wait, you made it yourself? Did you forget about the crafting menu?"

"Well...I know we used it a lot back when this was a game, but...I thought it would be way better if I made it myself! After as, I do have the skills to cook, boil, and brew as an Elder Maid anyways! I cant do some cheap thing like that!"

_I see Zats is still the same. Whenever we got into a stressful situation during a raid or epic quest, he would always roleplay. Usually in a comical manner too. It really helped relieve everyone's stress levels, although..._

"Now, I have been meaning to ask but...why are you not wearing any other clothes besides the maid outfit?"

"Oh...well, in the game, we always had a base under appearance, and set outfits and actions right? And because it was a game meant to be friendly to children, they made it so no character couldn't be naked and always had something on. Well, since I was in my private zone, I wanted to see what would happen...then you called, so I put on a maid outfit quickly and started to clean up".

Aza made note of that. He had already expected they might be able to do things previously not allowed to some degree.

That was when Aza got an alert on the telepathic link, a call from someone else.

"Is it from one of the others?"

"No, its from...someone who I met recently, before everything happened and we got trapped here. A female monk, by the name of Samari Seis" he told him, as he accepted the connection. "Hel.."

"Oh! Aza! Are you okay? You have any idea what is going on? I need your help over here, quickly!"

"Hold on, hold on, just calm down and expl…"

"Hurry, its urgent!"

At that point, he heard a thud, and then the line went dead.

"Zats!"

"Got it!"

The two quickly equipped their combat gear, got their boots on, and headed out the door.

* * *

It was already starting to get into the afternoon as they were rushing. There were people of all sorts looking depressed, and some looking outright evil and shifty lurking about, maybe driven mad. There were people trying to do good though, including a major warrior guild called Trueheart Legion, a smaller support guild called Silver Wing, and so on. But it looked like a lot of people were just in despair or shock still. There were whispers though, asking about the status of well known groups, such as the Jantos Six, Blitzbreak, and even some talk of some Tea Party group.

Once the two of them turned the corner, they found themselves in an alley. Big Apple was a bit of an anomaly in terms of player cities. It was one of the largest cities on the server, or in all of Elder Tales, but...it also had combat and monster zones inside itself. It was the only city that had these things, at least as far as he knew. And according to her distress message, she was currently in an area technically inside the city, but still was a zone where PvP could happen, as well as PvE.

This was the Ruined Block, an area of the city technically outside the city. The walls had been ruined, and monsters invaded, so the people constructed a barrier to prevent them from getting in even further while they finished making the Safe Zone in the city. At least, that was the lore behind it.

And as they got closer, few kids, maybe their age, maybe younger, ran past them. Zats, now dressed in his all black combat gear, pulled his hood up and vanished. That was his abilities as an Assassin, Stealth and Silent Move.

Meanwhile, Azato was a Level 90 Summoner. Even though he was young, he had gotten far. And thanks to his race of Foxtail, and how he was able to use it, he was more then able to build himself up pretty well in terms of magical ability.

Turning another corner, he finally spotted her. Keeping another two players at bay to let some new adventurers escape, he saw there were others as well that were going against her. These guys seemed like total creeps.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"These jerks just decided to start PKing people! I think they have gone insane or something!"

"Oh come now...we are not insane...we just wanted to have some fun with these little kids...enjoy ourselves, since we are in this crazy computer world".

"What?"

"Didn't you hear? Some adventurer tried killing himself to escape, and got revived at the Cathedral!"

"It doesn't matter how many people you bring, lady. If anything, you just gave us some new kids to play with".

_...these guys are creeps. I wonder if those are the people that those school assemblies always warn us about...whatever..._

He immediately brought out his summoning list, but one of them went to attack him before he could finish. That one however was immediately attacked and poisoned by Zats, who had prepared his command menu ahead of time.

He looked at several of his summons, and went for the Undine. Suddenly, behind him, a beautiful woman made of aqua appeared...and embraced Aza in a hug as she caressed his neck.

Everyone looked at that, as Aza went and checked, and saw that the abnormal trait was still there and in effect. Bonded Affection. Something he could not get rid of, a reward for a valentines event in a high level raid. Its purpose was actually to make it impossible for one's summons to be forcibly dismissed or stolen by spells and effects, and gave a minor boost to their combat ability.

"A summoner!"

"Get him quickly!"

"I don't think so! I wont let you past me!"

As she said that, Aza heard conflict from above, and saw that Zats had enganged with another Assassin.

"Looks like our reinforcements have arrived!"

Azato then dodged as a few arrows came flying at him, and ran away from the battle. His Undine also did not last very long either. None of them were level 90s like they were, but they had the numbers, and his Undine was only at Beginner Rank.

In Elder Tales, Skills have a ranking system. They are named after a Martial Arts Ranking System. That System is Comprehension, Beginner, Intermediate, Hidden, and Secret in that order from lowest to highest. Furthermore, the Undine Summon did not have a lot of HP in the first place. Now, he was in a bit of a bind because a lot of the more powerful summons took more time, time he did not have. Although...he did have one at the Hidden Level that was surprisingly fast. He quickly touched the skill on the menu, and summoned it.

"Akamaru, here to help!" the small red fox said, as they ran into an abandoned building. They barely dodged a fireball sent at them, as Azato got out his Caster Gunbolt Rifle. It was a reward he got for completing an epic level quest.

"Akamaru, we need to get onto high ground" he mentioned. If he remained on the ground level, they would be more liable to invade to surround him. But if he went up higher, they would wait and surround the building before going on, since they would be wary of him jumping from the second story and escaping that way.

And so, events played out exactly as he expected. Back to the present, he quickly looked out a window and fired off some rounds.

"They have us heavily outnumbered!" Akamaru mentioned. He was supposed to be a summon that gave various comments, compliments, and alerts, but Azato was pretty sure he was never this chatty.

"BUt they are surrounding us right?"

"Yes, but one of the players must have some sort of tracking subclass, because we have been marked. That's how they have been keeping an eye on our location!"

Azato looked down, and saw that on his ankle was a magic symbol that was glowing, probably from when he was marked. The same for Akamaru's back leg.

"So, it seems pretty desperate then, huh?" he asked.

"Indeed".

"Then, lets kick it up a notch!"

"Give up shrimp! We have you outnumbered, and nothing you can summon can help you against these odds! Two of you wont stop anything!"

Azato smiled. Yes, the Summoner class was only allowed to summon one creature at a time.

Or at least, that's how it was normally, unless you obtained a special skill from a raid like he had.

"Summon Follower: Sword Princess!"

Sword Princess. A skill he had at the Secret Level, and one of the most powerful summons in the game. It was also incredibly popular with the fanbase, and sparked the creation of multiple varients. The one he was using was the Armored Protector Varient, giving it a better defense and attack stat, though in exchange it would last for less time. It was one of the few summons that lasted only for a few moments...but in exchange...

"Ahhhg!"

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"Skythos just got sent to the Cathedral!"

It was very good at taking things out quickly.

However, that was when a few adventurers who had run inside already came up to the second floor.

"Now we got you all alone...lets see how strong you feel once we send you to the Cathedral?"

"Wait...lets take all his gear first, send him back as naked as a newborn babe..."

"You are late. I was expecting you here sooner" he mentioned. This confused them at first, until they got slashed from behind, and were knocked out from a status effect. That was when Zats and Samari came from behind, walking over them. Zats then proceeded to do what they just threatened to do to Azato, taking every last piece of their gear and belongings.

"It will be harder for them to PK if they have no weapons and armor" Zats explained.

"...but you took their clothes too, and their underwear".

"I might be just a bit mad as well. And considering what they wanted to do to us, and other young adventurers, its a just punishment".

"I take it you two handled your own battles then?"

Zats nodded. "As expected, they spent enough time in the game to get to a higher level then new kids, but they didn't really dedicate themselves to it. It was easy for me to defeat the assassin, then help our Samari, before heading over to assist you".

"Seriously though, was that a Sword Princess? And it looked like an enhanced, more powerful version then normal".

Zats then looked at her. "...by the way, who are you?"

"Ah! My name is Samari Seis, and I am a level 90 Monk with the Subclass of Barbarians. And for the record...I really love cute and adorable boys like you!" she said, as she grabbed hold of him and hugged tightly.

Still, Azato was impressed. He had gone on a few raids and epic quests with her before. Her combination of Monk Class and Barbarian Subclass was powerful. As a monk, she had one of the highest HPs of the game, and the Barbarian Subclass granted an ability to absorb HP with every blow, provided increased resistances the closer to death they got, and so on. As a Monk, she chose her subclass early on and decided for it. That said...she was very overpassionate, and tended to love cute and adorable things, characters, and so on. She also got overpassionate in combat as well, and very few people such as himself could get her focus back when she got overzealous during a raid.

Azato then checked the game timer. It confirmed that it was well into the night. It didn't feel like that much time had passed, but then again, there were a lot of distractions today.

"Alright then...I guess we are in a fantasy world based on the game world then" Azato decided, right then and there.

"Wait, what?"

"How can you be sure?"

"Because, even if we were trapped in a game, with our bodies made of software, by some strange incident, the servers would still be the servers. The admins should have been able to contact us somehow, or did something. However, no admin has given any declaration, no messages, nothing. No announcement asking what everyone was doing, no intervention. Basically, if we were on a server, all servers still have a physical location in the world. And they could use those to communicate with us. The Land of Wen, North Wen as this region is, is not on a server therefore...this is a fantasy world based on a game, but we are not actually inside the game itself".

As he explained it, it seemed to go right over Samari's head, but Zats was able to understand it a little...he thought.

"So...we are in another world?"

"Ahhh...this is so confusing!"

"Yeah...well, I dont have all the answers yet" he mentioned. That was when he suddenly got another telepathic call.

"Azato! Azato, is that you? I need to talk to you immediately! Its important!"

And so, it seemed their work was still not done...in their new reality.


	2. Chapter 2: A Cry for Help

**Chapter 2: A Cry for Help**

"You know, you seem really popular for such a young player, Azato" Samari remarked as they were walking through the Guild Building.

"That's because I have been playing since I was eight years old" Azato replied.

"Ehhh? Seriously? You must have been one smart kid. I bet your parents always told you never to play too much though".

_Actually, it was their idea for me to play this game. Mom is a surgeon who is working almost all the time, and Dad is always away overseas on a business trip. I learned how to cook and use the oven when I was six because my babysitter never showed up. Apparently got caught up in a car accident and was sent to the hospital. So I had to make my own food for a few days, and decided I didn't want to eat cold food all the time..._

"Anyways, here we are..." he mentioned, stopping at a door labeled "Happy Quartz Alliance". As the name suggests, its a more casual and friendly guild that is more like a family. Rather then being hardcore warriors or crafters, they support each other. Its not uncommon for guilds like this to get requests for adventuring party formations to take on quests and raids, when they themselves lack the people available to go after it.

Azato had worked with them on a number of occasions himself. He actually was requested to help train some of their members back when it was just a game, and he also went on raids with the leader, who wanted to get some Artifact or even Phantasmal Class Gear herself so that when her Guildmates were high enough to do a raid themselves, she could help her guild better.

Either way, they were quickly brought in, and invited into the meeting room so they could begin. Zats and Samari sat on one side, while Aleria and Wisera sat on the other. As for Azato...he was sitting on Aleria's lap, being pet.

_I forgot...she had these sort of motherly instincts as well..._

Zats just looked relieved it was not him, while Samari looked confused, while the meeting went on like everything was normal.

"Thanks for coming, Azato dear".

"Well, you said it was important. So did your voice. So, what is going on?"

"Tell me...what do you know about the situation between the cities, and the transport gates?"

"As far as I am aware, the Inter-City Transport Gates are down for some reason, and its hard to get anywere, right?"

"Indeed...which is why, I have a favor to ask of you. From what I know, you were always capable of getting around the game really quickly, probably a summon you have, so...I was wondering if you could help rescue one of our members".

"Rescue?"

"Do you know the situation about the Adventurer City, Northpoint?"

In the Elder Tales world, the game creaters ambitiously made the world a one half model of the earth. The North American Server, which is mainly the USA and Canada, is known as North Wen. Now, due to the sheer size of North Wen, and the population of the United States and Canada that played the game, it has a massive amount of Adventurer Cities. Over a dozen at least. Northpoint was a player City up in the north, based on some major Canadian City. However, it was fairly isolated as a result of all the cold and mountains in the way.

Normally, a guild might not go to others for help like this. However, the Happy Quartz Alliance has had most of their members interact with, and be taught by, Azato at some point or another. Although he never formally joined, he was always greeted with cheer and respect, and no one would ever object including him on private guild matters even.

And on that note...

"Also...with the climate of everything that is going on, not to mention the...downsides...of this world. I was wondering if maybe you would reconsider joining the Guild officially?"

"...im just not sure yet" he said, feeling uncertain. "But, I will help you get your guildmember back. Who is it?"

"Its a cu...its a boy, a bit younger then you. Really sweet, a bit timid, but really smart. He is an Enchanter, with the subclass of Knight I believe. His name is Alabam".

"Eh? Is he trying to go for a Knight Enchanter Build?"

"Indeed. Anyways, there is a big guild there, apparently its oppressing everyone and keeping them under a leash, trying to control the whole city. That's why its so urgent. We have members of our guild in other cities as well, but all of those cities are stable and safe. Northpoint is the only one that seems to be under a lot of chaos right now, and for some reason, the Guildmaster of this Guild...of Blackstone, is forcibly making everyone serve him, or he finds a way to toss them out of town, and send them to the Cathedral".

"What level is he?"

"Alabam is only 19, while the Guildmaster is a Level 90 Pirate. He doesn't stand a chance of escaping on his own, and even if he did manage, he would never be able to make the whole trip solo".

"Huh...so he started early too towards an idea build. Smart. He will be a great help in raids one day. But I can see the issue at hand right now".

"So then, you will help?"

"Sure. Let them know I am coming".

"I will. I hope you and your friends luck, and I hope you can find all of your other friends as well".

"Thanks" he said. "But...you know I cant leave until you stop petting me and let me go, right?"

"...ah, right".

As the meeting was concluded, once they entered the hall, they saw all the other guildmembers there, leaning against the wall, listening in. Once they saw them leave though, they cameo over with packages.

"Here! Some fresh fruit! Its still tasty!"

"And here, have these mana portions!"

"I hope these health potions will help you!"

They were showed with gifts and support.

"Wait, wait, hold on" Azato said, opening up his menu. "Normally, to avoid clutter, I only had a few of your veterans on my friendlist. But given the apocalypse, and all the potential what ifs, lets all add each other right now okay?"

He said that with a smile, and a lot of the girls squeeled while the boys looked happy and inspired by the friendship. That was the sort of guild this was. A lot of friendly people who loved adoring, positivity, and cuteness, as well as working together, playing together, even bathing together.

So when they finally left, Azato still felt good. "That was a great thing to experience".

"What, you mean, getting help and praise?"

"No, positivity" he said, thinking about some things. "You might be surprised, but she is actually coping rather well given her situation".

"Her situation?"

"There is a reason I endured that embarrassing display...she is a mother, whose children died in a horrible accident. Filled with grief and stress, she tried various things to get over it, but all failed...until Elder Tails. Here, she was able to help out new players, children, look after them, take care of them. But because it was online, it was not like she had replaced her own children. That level of disconnect helped her get over her grief and move on, because she had that purpose. She was better even before the Apocalypse, but her understanding of loss, and knowing how helpful it is to give them something to do. She helps people, spreads positivity, she doesn't lie to them, or give them false hope. She just has them take advantage of their situation for the best possible outcome.

He started looking around at all the depressed people outside. "Its guilds like that who are probably going to end up saving this city from itself. Look at everyone, they are so depressed, so down. Not doing anything. But did you notice? At Happy Quarts, everyone was positive. They already were writing down plans, things like training camps, hot springs visits, fun public events. They are a small guild, but their positivity is absolutely infectious. And certainly, they are better then some...like that one guild".

"You mean that Mafia styled Guild, The Family? The ones who were already rumored to have a bad reputation, bullying and extorting people, but just within the limits to where the admins could not get involved?"

"Exactly. When we get back...we should make sure that public order starts to get better".

"...but...you do know that will be in like a month or two, right? I mean, Northpoint is really far away. It will take us weeks to get there".

"Don't worry, I know a shortcut" he said, as he took out a summoning flute and summoned some horses for them to ride on.

"...a summoner using a summoning flute...that seems wrong".

"A summoning flute does not count against the max number of monsters I can summon. It means using and maintaining an item, but...its handy like that. Right, Akamaru?"

"Thats right!"

"...how long does that summon last?"

"I will have you know, I have an infinite duration!"

"Hold on, hold on...seriously?"

"Akamaru has several abilities and is very high ranked. Even though I can manage monitoring everyone on my own, Akamaru reduces stress on me and provides me alerts. He also helps manage what I can and cannot do...speaking of which, once we get out of the city, I want to try something".

And on that note, they quickly mounted the horses and rode out of the city. Heading north, even on horses, it would admittedly still take way too long. So that was why, after awhile, they stopped to rest.

"So wait...how are we going to do this? Wait, do you have some sort of special summoning flute? Wait, I heard a legend that this one group the Tea Party, had these epic level summoning flutes that could summon Griffons! Are you going to summon a Griffon?!"

"Nope" Zats said. "He is going to do something else. You are using that Spell right? The Skill you got as a reward for completing the Liberty's Fall Raid?"

"That's right".

"Wait...the Liberty's Fall Raid? I never heard you could get a special spell or such as a reward!"

"You can, but admittedly even if you do the raid normally, it wouldn't be enough. You see, there is a secret locked reward list. You can only access that by completing the Epic Level Quest, Dragon God's Return, the one that gets issued repeatedly every six months, and then within a weak of starting it, you have to beat it, and then start the raid. YOu then have to beat that raid in a weeks time from when you start, and if you do and you get to the end, you get access to the list. Including a ridiculous amount of treasure, but also among random drops, it lets you choose one thing of your choice".

Suddenly, he bent his knees and pointed his open palm at the ground under him. A large spell circle surrounded him, and his mana started to drop like crazy. "Summon Follower: Temptest Dragon!"

Tempest Dragon. It was a Summon that had a few prerequisites to summon. YOu had to be above level 87. You had to have enough open space and surface space to form the summoning circle. It cost A LOT of mana. And the cast time was twenty seconds. As for the recast time...you could cast it only once a day. And yet, there was a major upside to it. Its duration was one hour. Its stats were powerful. And it had the ability to fly extremely quickly. And of course, Azato had the skill which let him ride his summons.

"So...everyone ready?"

"Amazing...the first Tempest Dragon I saw summoned in person, not on a screen..."

"...incredible..."

And so, with that, they boarded the Tempest Dragon, and flew off towards their location.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Northpoint...

Alabam was running down an alley, scared for his life. The Guild, Blackstone, was really going after him now. He just had to keep running, as fast and as far as he could, and avoid getting captured and being sent back to the Cathedral.

Unfortunately, that was when Blackstone thugs surrounded him on all points. They had higher stats then them and outnumbered him. And since they were still in a public city area, PvP was disabled. The only thing that he could have used to get out of this, his skills, were unavailable in the idea he could use it on them. He took a step back, being forced into a corner...when suddenly, he felt himself suddenly whisked into the air. By...a Werecat? (Okay, so, in the Anime, from what I know and remember they are called Catfolk or Cat people, but it seems their official race name is Werecats).

"I hear you needed a bit of help, Nya".

"Uhhh...thanks?"

The Werecat rushed up and down, away from the adventurers pursueing them, as he headed towards a private zone. And with that, maybe from running around all day and night, Alabam was hit by a wave of drowsiness and fell asleep now that he could rest. Still, despite everything, they had not evaded one person's gaze.

* * *

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Yeah, whatcha up to?"

Samari and Zats asked him that as he took his eyes off the sky for a moment, and was checking his friends list.

"Ah, I was just seeing if everyone was online or not" Azato mentioned, looking at the list. _A lot of people are offline, but a bunch of us are online. Yet no one has made contact yet...two of them are set to Do not Disturb, so none of my messages are getting through. Its possible they were in the middle of a raid when the Apocalypse happened. Or a Dungeon. In that case, they probably set themselves to Do Not Disturb. As for the other one, he is set to Hidden. He might be in a situation where he cant make contact. As for the final one...he is online, but he wont respond to any of my messages. At all. I hope he is okay..._

"You know...I would feel better if we had some famous group or guild with us" Samari mentioned with a sigh. "I know we are great and all, but it would be nice if we had The Minutemen, Heroic Heart, or Steelblade Chroniclers to help. Or maybe one of those legendary groups. Party of Chaos, Jantos Six, The First Exploration, or even that legendary group I heard about from another server, the something Tea Party...oi! Keep your eyes on the sky!"

"Wha...oh!" Azato said, barely getting them out of the way before they crashed into a mountain. "Sorry sorry, I will check the rest later. Anyways, we are almost out of time, so I think we will land soon, take a rest, then take horses the rest of the way".

"Horses?"

"Yeah. I want Tempest to cooldown. The moment we make the rescue, they will probably come after us with force. We should make a quick escape, and not take any risks".

And at that point, their stomachs growled.

"...plus, we need to cook some food".

The group of them landed, and while Samari started to set up camp, Azato and Zats started cooking their dinner.

"Huh...your not using the command menu?"

"Force of habit. I am used to cooking for myself".

"And as a world class maid, I can not let my skills rust just because there is some ultra convienent option! Besides, its more rewarding this way, and I can choose the amount of ingredients I use!"

"Huh...alright then".

A short time later, and eventually they managed to finish camp and their dinner.

"Smells so good..."

"And the ingredients that Happy Quartz gave us also helped out".

"We had to use our own meat though. They pretty much only gave us ingredient items and potions".

"I dont know why people were complaining though" Samari mentioned, a bit puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in the city, I heard their food was coming out kinda...bland".

"Those people probably lacked a cooking skill...or were just bad cooks. Everyone thinks that just because the menu tells you what to combine together, what amount of ingredients, they know how to cook. But those ingrient usage and pricings were only from a game balancing perspective. Seriously, one of the cake recipes asks you to use an entire bucket of butter, just for a cake! Of all the nerves!"

"Yeah...by the way, I know you love the roleplay Zats…" he said, looking over at Zats who was dressed as a maid again. "But, please keep your combat gear on while camping. After all, a real maid would never allow himself or herself to be vulnerable and a liability to the ones they are serving".

"Ah...good point! I will go change!"

Zats ran off again.

"...does he know he doesn't need to wear the maid uniform to use maid skills?"

"I mean, we told him once as a joke he had to...and none of us have had the heart to correct him since..."

"...you just also find it a bit amusing. Or maybe...you like him".

"I do not! We are just great friends, with some things in common".

"Huuh".

"Dont look at me like that!"

"Either way...I feel like there might be a lot of weirdos out here".

"Well, there are plenty of normal gamers who just want to have fun and have a good time, but others...others come into MMOs because people in the real world dont understand them, and they find others like them or end up going out on their beliefs. Because of that, you get weirdos who want to dominate and kill new players like the guys from last night, we get those who oppress everyone and want to own everything, like Blackstone, and then you have the especially weird people on the Fringes. And those are the people who you will want to look out for the most...and sometimes, the hardest to spot.

* * *

Alabam found himself waking up with some aches and pains. It felt like he had fallen asleep upright...which, as he was waking up, he had. But that was not the biggest shock. The biggest shock might have just been that he was completely naked, and that his arms were chained behind his back and attached to the ceiling.

"What the!?"

"Ah good, you are awake. You should have known, nothing in this world is free" he mentioned with an evil grin.

"...no way...no no no!"

"Oh yes, you are mine now..." he mentioned, approaching the boy. The boy moved his leg to cover up what he could, maybe as some sort of act as defiance, but the man in front of him was clearly far stronger then him given he escaped so easily. Rather, compared to him, Blackstone would probably be an improvement. "You know, I originally joined this game for stress relief, and to hunt...but this is a rather nice change".

He was standing just a foot away, when he heard sounds of fighting outside, and a young voice cry out in pain.

"...oh? Hold on a moment" he said, as he over to the door. He heard footsteps, running away from the area, and waited until they were gone. He wondered what had occurred...so he looked outside, and saw a Wolffang boy who was bloody and beat up. There were lots of foorprints leading away from the area, left in the snow, and the Royal Guard were nowhere to be seen. "I guess they launched some attacks, and left the boy here as they ran from the Royal Guard. Lucky me".

He then dragged the second boy in. He was not even wearing armor. Just casual clothes. A pair of shorts, a T shirt. He was not even wearing any boots and was barefoot, not that it mattered much in a game. He did have a blade on him, a curved sword.

"No! Wake up! You have to escape...uhg, why cant I use any skills?!"

"I disabled Combat Skills for you" he said, bringing up his menu to do the same for him as well. He went down and started to pull the boy's shorts down...but the moment he did that, the boy suddenly woke up, drew his sword, and struck him with an attack.

"Lanius Capture!"

Lanius Capture. It was a skill that allowed someone to mute their opponents for fifteen seconds, preventing them from issueing any abilities, commands, or spells, or speaking even. This would also interfere with his ability to use the command menu.

The moment he used that ability, rather then rushing at him, he rushed over to Alabam who was chained up, and cut the chains and shackles off, also wrapping him in a blanket that he pulled out. Three seconds had passed at that point, and the Wolffang boy pulled him forward while coming at the pervert with another attack. He attacked him outright, and with him silenced, he just backed up...which left the singular escape route, the door, wide open, and he dragged him through it.

"Wait wait, what about my clothes and stuff?"

"I have some spare stuff you can wear! Just follow me!"

At that point, the crazy pervert guy ran out the door. Duration on Lanius Capture was almost over. However, he was already really far away.

"Cool sword! Who are you?"

"Aha. My name is Runzo, I am a Samurai" he mentioned.

"Samurai? I thought that was exclusive for the Japan server? Isn't ours Pirate?"

"Yeah, but I transferred my character over from the Japan server when I moved. ANd since its basically the same, rather then making me a pirate, it let me stay as a Samurai. Now, hold on! We need to get somewhere safe before Blackstone spots us!"

"Un, right!"

And so as the rescue forces made their way closer, one rescue had already been completed.


	3. Chapter 3: Liberation

**Chapter 3: Liberation**

"I have it spotted" Zats mentioned, as he scouted out the area in front. "Looks like a lot of devastation ahead, but no one is outside right now. My guess is, they are all still in the city".

"What about the one we are trying to rescue?"

"Someone came and saved them. Apparently, while running from Blackstone, the kid got kidnapped by a creep, but then some sword guy came and saved them".

"Some sword guy? Well, whatever. If it means we have another ally, I am all for it. Please, please at least tell me..."

"Yep, he said he was Level 90".

"Alright, good. Do we have their location?"

"Yeah. They are hiding out in a private zone, safe and sound for now, but...it sounds like they are worried they might be found out soon. Even though they are hiding in a private zone, since they had to relocate, its possible they might get tracked down. They might try to make a run for the gates, but only when we get close enough".

"Alright then, tell them we will be there soon! And get ready for a fight!"

"Alright!" Samari shouted, pounding a fist into her palm and pumping herself up.

"Understood!"

"I just got word!" Alabam mentioned, now equipped with totally new gears and clothes thanks to Runzo. "They are getting close to the gate now!"

"Alright then, lets make our move and meet them outside. Blackstone wont have expected a group to arrive in just two days, I suppose we should be glad that Northpoint was not further north".

After he adjusted his bracelet a little, he did some stretches, and was now ready. He bent down and gestured to Alabam. "Since my stats are better, get on my back. I will carry you".

"Alright...but, they wont attack us once we leave right?"

"Technically speaking, the Royal Guard will show up. But also technically, there are ways around it. Back in the game, the screen and resolution gave you a limited field of view. However, now that we are in the game, its technically possible for someone to attack you outside of a normal range using bows and crossbows, as well as magic. And even if that still gets factored in, the Royal Guard have a response time. They only appear after an attack has hit or been made, not before. Blackstone has over one hundred members at least, and that's what I remember from before the Apocalypse. They have been forcibly recruiting others and causing a ruckus".

"So wait...are you saying..."

"Yeah. By all accounts, it is possible to kill someone inside a city. YOu just have to do it quickly enough. And the Royal Guards will only go after people once they make an attack. Furthermore, if those people only make one attack, and then disperse or run away, the Royal Guards will disengage. And then, those people can return. In terms of combat, its really impractical...but its also frightening. After all, as the singular target, I would be able to use a single combat move to counter attack, and then the Royal Guards would be watching me. And with attacks being constantly made, they would stay around, and I would stay monitored while the people switching in and out would not".

_Oh wow...he is around the same age as me, but he is so much smarter and better. He has understood what they plan to do before they do it, and he understands how to game and abuse the Royal Guards._

"So get on, and hold on tight".

Alabam got onto his back, as he prepared to go forward. He waited for a bit, collected his thoughts, and then...

"Now".

He burst out of the door. Two blades came down at them, but no Royal Guards appeared next.

_Those must have been pure movements, and not auto-attacks. Or perhaps, we are too close to the private zone. Lets assume the former for now. So, if its not an attack or skill, the Royal Guards wont appear, as expected. This makes it a bit easier for me. All I have to do is use my katana and deflect some attacks. So long as I dont use a skill, or use the basic attack, it wont count as fighting. BUt if its the latter...should be careful and reserved._

"Arrows!"

Runzo dodged as multiple projectiles rained down on his location. However, not a single one hit either of them, as his agility was too high. He turned the corner, and rushed forward.

"Magic attacks!"

"Alright...time to really screw with them" he muttered, as he not only started to zig zag, but also began to randomly adjust his speed. It played absolute havoc for the players attacking him, since with his random movements and random speed changes, targeting became a nightmarish thing and not a single one of them could land a hit. Royal Knights showed up here and there so they fled, while he was uninjured.

"Is this all of them?"

"No, their main forces will be outside the city. They will be there to finish us off when we make it there".

"Ehh?"

"Its fine. That's where we are meeting our allies after all".

As he said that, he ran out of the gate and into a large snowey valley, part of a maze of valleys and tunnels, and immediately they were attacked afterwards. However, a large barrier projected around them and blocked it.

Although he looked to be dressed in traditional Japanese attire, his clothes were an item gotten in a raid. Phantasmal level item that provided heavy protection. Even though he was a Tank Class, a Samurai, he was also styled with equipment that augmented damage in addition to defense, and thus he was a very famous solo player. Some people considered him to be like a famous player of the Japan Server, Sojiro, only a bit shorter, and a little more daring and energetic.

"Did you really think you could slight me, and escape like this? You have to keep a short leash on your pets after all, and there is no way I can just let you go and defy me!" the GUildleader of Blackstone, Arzen said. He was a Level 90 Pirate, and possessed a high combat ability. His HP was a bit unusually high also, but perhaps his subclass was something that gave him more HP.

There were also other Level 90s. A Level 90 Sorcerer, a Level 90 Guardian, and a Level 90 Cleric. And behind him, the remains of Blackstone were coming to surround him.

However, all of a sudden, a massive roar could be heard...and a Dragon flew overhead, a Tempest Dragon, and laid siege to all Blackstone members who tried to attack them, while at the same time several of their healers were taken down quickly, and finally a monk appeared and delivered the first blow to their Guardian. Meanwhile, a summoner came...and he and Runzo locked eyes.

"Ehh...are those our reinforcements?!"

"That's right...hey! Its been a long time Azato!"

"Same to you, Runzo! Iv been trying to contact you, but your status was set to not receive any calls!"

"Sorry, I muted that because I needed time to think!"

"Wait, you two know each other?!"

"OF course, we were in the same party! Also, hey Zats!"

"Nice to see you, Runzo!"

"Everyone...D5!" Azato called out, and a smile went across Runzo's face.

"Got it!" he said, and he immediately jumped up into the air. "Dragonprince Aura!"

Suddenly, Runzo emitted a powerful and majestic aura that gave everyone of their enemies pause. He also accelerated in speed, his strength was amplified, as well as his agility.

Dragonprince Aura was a Skill he got, from the same Raid that Azato got Temptest Dragon. A powerful Skill, though obviously balanced as well. The strength of the buffs was based on a multitude of factors, from how many people were around, to average level of everything around, to his current HP level, to the fact keeping it activated would drain his MP little by little every second. Though, at least it did not have a limitation of once a day.

And thus, Runzo was able to carry Alabam to their side, and they were no longer surrounded on all fronts.

"Ha...now! Do it!"

Arzen called that out, but...nothing happened.

"Hey! Where are they?! Where are all the Assassins!"

"Ah...they are taking a bit of a nap" Zats told him, sticking his tongue out.

"Impossible! They should have been hiding in the caves, in the snow, everywhere!"

"Nothing some soap cant get out!"

Azato mused as Arzen's face was twisted with rage. The Maid Subclass, and ultimately, the Elder Maid Subclass. At first glance, one might think it was useless for combat. But in truth, it had bonuses that would suit stealthy types. Zats was a high level, as shown from his ability to get everything clean in his home in mere hours after the Apocalypse happened. And he was not limited to households in his cleaning. Crimescenes, Battlefields, BLades, evidence, even people. He could clean them all with speed and precision. For an Assassin, that meant he could erase any trace of him on a battlefield, restore it back to normal. He could assassinate someone, then clean it as if it never happened before his party turned and realized it. So unless you caught him in the act, you would never be able to catch him for a crime.

"...you know a player is a pro when he can make the Elder Maid Subclass useful" Alabam muttered in shock.

"Damnit! I will take you down!"

"I dont think so!"

The pirate charged forward, but he was matched by the Samurai Runzo. Meanwhile, the Assassin went after him, but dodged and managed to avoid the attack from the Sorcerer.

"Now, lets do this!" Azato said as he brought up his command screen.

"Ha, you dont know how to cast without that?"

But Azato just smiled, as he thought back to when he first summoned Tempest Dragon.

"...hey, wait...you didn't use your command menu!"

"Yeah, that was my test. It felt like no one else was, so I was experimenting. As I thought, it appears we dont need to use the Command Menu to cast spells or use abilities. That will be really useful to know, right?"

"Oh yeah...wow I wish I knew that sooner, we could have cleaned those guys up easily".

Back to the present, Runzo was keeping Arzen busy, and Samari was keeping the guardian at bay. The Sorcerer was keeping Zats distracted, and that left the Cleric against himself, along with all the lower ranked members.

"ALabam, you are an enchanter right? I want you to augment everyone's attacks and defenses from the backline. I know you have melee skills and abilities from your subclass, but I want you focused on buffs right now!"

"Right! Understood!"

"Now" he said, taking out his rifle. The Caster Gunbolt Rifle, this variant had the option of transforming into a staff. For this situation, he did that, and then proceeded to make use of it. "Death Scythe!"

This ability let the Summoner engage in direct combat with his summons. Akamaru jumped forward, as everyone charged at them.

"Now, lets use your full power Akamaru!"

"Right!" he said, as he transformed suddenly into a larger creature. AKamaru normally was to assist him with notifications and alerts, but he did have one special ability...True Form. Because his true identity was the Nine Tailed Fox summon. "And now...Summon Follower: Shield Maiden!"

This caused a Shield Maiden to be summoned by him...which then embraced him in an overaffectionate hug with kisses, as the large woman picked him up into her arms and raised her shield.

"...this doesn't normally happen either...by chance, is my permenant status...making all my female Summons fall in deep love with me?"

He then wondered what would happen if he summoned two female summons at the same time. That said, he had now hit his limit. Three summons was the most he could have out at a time. It took him two epic level summoner quests and an insanely difficult raid just to get it too.

Still, right now he had to focus on the battle. Even with three summons of this quality out, summons had a weakness of being weaker then their original creatures. He had a skill that boosted their abilities, but it would only do so much, and they had a lot of players. And even though he had skills that let him do damage and use high powered weapons, the original stats of a Summoner did not support self combat, so he could only do so much against this overwhelming army.

At least, if he was alone.

"Azato! Master Runzo's health is lowering!"

"Samari will be fine, focus all of your buffs to Runzo!"

"Right!"

"Samari, his Anchor Howl will wear off in twelve seconds! All of his other taunts are exhausted! Go for the attack!"

"Understood!"

"Zats, at the same time, use pocket 12!"

"Understood!"

"Runzo, Ballistic Cannonball!"

"Sweet! I love that plan".

"...what does he mean by 'Ballistic Cannonball'".

"Now, Shield Maiden!" Azato said as he jumped up and landed on the Shieldmaiden's shield, right as she thrust it forward. With the acceleration of the Shieldthrust, his own skills, and his own personal ability, he was able to cut through multiple adventurers at once, and combined with the damage they had already taken earlier from Akamaru or the Shieldmaiden, were sent to the Cathedral.

"How did...he manage that..." Alabam wondered in party chat.

"Its a personal ability of Azato. Spacial Mastery. He can perfectly understand and predict special paths, tracking shots, and directions. He will understand how objects will go, how long he has till they reach him, how long until he reaches them, and so on. Its not a skill in the game, or anything like that. Its a personal skill from his real life mind...Full Spatial Mastery".

Runzo explained that to him, letting him feel a bit better now. He understood it a bit better now. The reason he could manage everyone's MP and HP easier then other people was because he could understand and realize their positions easily, and put it all in a map in his head. Even slight glimpses, he would see where they are, and understand their movements and positions. As for the cooldown specifics...clearly they had worked in a party before.

Azato then got hit with a few arrows, but he fired some Elemental Bolts back at them. The moment he did, Akamaru's tail lit up and amplified their damage.

The Ninetailed Fox has a number of abilities to call from. It could amplify its master's attacks, it could amplify his defenses, it could attack and defend itself. Of course, all of its abilities drains from its own mana pool, so it cant keep doing everything indefinently. Its supposed to trigger based on certain sets of variables, but...Akamaru seemed unusually intelligent.

However, the moment he made contact and sent them all to the Cathedral, suddenly his boots seemed to hit the air, and he jumped higher into the sky...before he changed directions again and went down with gravity plus force!

Arzen saw this and grunted, so he turned to give orders but...his Sorcerer, Cleric, and Guardian were all down.

"...what?! How did…dont tell me..."

"Oh crap here he comes!" one guy said as he landed. Ballistic Cannonball. The plan was a very simple one. Using the Aeroburst-Boots they got as a reward during the Second Great Guild War in the server, back when it was a game, then proceeded to cause havoc among the enemies weaker ground troops. With everyone gtting distracted by such a display, it takes their attention off of others, as well as their applied buff's timers, cooldowns, and such. By timing it when things are about to run out, they forget about them, and about recasting them, which lets his allies go and deal tons of damage as well as his summons. It was a type of plan that might just qualify as being called evil.

Even Arzen was low on health now.

"You damned brat!"

Still, he charged forward. Azato slashed at him, lowing his HP, but it was not enough. He was about to punch Azato in the face...when he got his with an enchanted blade. As a result, he got sent spiraling back, and was sent to the Cathedral.

"If you still want to fight, we will fight you" Azato mentioned. "But keep in mind, we just defeated all of your level 90s. So you should probably just give up".

As he said that, he called Tempest Dragon over, and had everyone get on it.

"Remember this: He is one person, which means you all outnumber him. You all could beat him up easily".

And then, with those words, they took off and started to head home.

Once they were in the air, Alabam got curious.

"Okay, I gotta know. How do you have all this awesome stuff! Like, the Tempest Dragon, or that cool aura ability! You gotta tell me!"

Azato, Zats, and Runzo all had a mischevious smile on their face.

"Well, if you must know, we all used to be in a party together...called the Jantos Six".

That was when the other two went quiet for a moment.

"Seriosuly?!"

"The Jantos Six?!"

"Hold on, are they all small boys like you?"

"Well, yeah. Because no one would take us in" Azato mentioned. "You see, people always tend to whine and disclude people who sound young and childish in online games, thinking they are immature. Basically, we all faced a bit of discrimination, but we were always told we were smarter, wiser, the others our age in real life. And when we noticed the six of us had a lot in common, we decided to get together, and formed a party in Elder Tales. Thus, the Jantos Six was born of people who looked and sounded young, but were not ashamed or embarrassed by it".

"And then, we became scary good at the game".

"Well yeah, that too".

_So I was right...he was in the Jantos Six..._ Samari thought to herself.

"Right...so, lets get back to Big Apple! We can tell you more there!" he said, as they passed over some mountains, and a shadow moved overhead.

"...what was that..."

And then, a Tempest Dragon came down from the clouds.

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

"Ah...I think that's a female Tempest Dragon".

"...please tell me its not Tempest Dragon mating season?"

"It is. Furthermore, they mate by battling to determine who is stronger".

"I see...RUN AWAY!"

"Tempest! Emergency Landing in a safe zone!"

"Its charging up an attack!"

"Go faster go faster!"

"I think we probably should not travel on a Dragon in the future!"

"You might be right!"

"INCOMING!"

And so, the day ended with an eventful little twist.

* * *

Fun Facts:

-The group is still unaware that others are unaware of the Real Food Preparation Revelation, or about the tastelessness of food not cooked with a cooking skill.

-Azato, Zats, and Runzo are all members of the Jantos Six

-Azato likes to fake people out.

-Tempest Dragon (Summon) is indeed a male. Therefore, its not ridiculously attracted to his master, though he does show incredible loyalty.

-Although there are indeed similarities, Azato is not a carbon copy Shiro, which is why he has a different skillset and race.

-If Azato learned he was the protagonist in a story, he would likely be annoyed. He thinks that it would be better if Happy Quartz was a protagonist, since he thinks they would do a better job at spreading a positive message and helping people out.

-Zats once performed ten ambushes in under ten minutes in the same area, totally cleansing the site of the ambush each time.

-Runzo introduced the group to the idea of public baths, ramen, and other things.

-Jantos was a name created by all of them. They all contributed to it. And there are indeed six members total.

-Keep a look out for hints in the future, since they could be anywhere. The hint here is when Runzo was talking about Azato's natural ability, Full Spacial Mastery. That is an ability not possible to be displayed in a 2D screen. In other words, Runzo knows Azato in real life.

* * *

In case anyone wants to submit their own OC, they can. Though I should point out if I see too many similar characters, I may have to make changes.

Character Sheet:

Basic Information

Name:

Nickname:

Age:

Background:

Personality Traits:

Character Information

Character Name:

Character Stats:

Character Race:

Race Traits: (These are mentioned on the wiki)

Character Appearance and Age:

Character Class:

Character Subclass:

Character Equipment:

Character Accomplishments:

Character Skills:

Build Notes:


	4. Chapter 4: Database

**Chapter 4: Database**

So, while I am using a lot from canon and the wiki, I am also going to be including newstuff. But that means, I will also be open to ideas other people have for new things. First, lets go over the new summons:

**Summon Follower: Tempest Dragon:** A summon that can last for a whole hour, it has a long cast time and even longer recast time. Its also very mana expensive, and can only be summoned if the area is large enough. In the beginning, Azato thought it would be great for transport, but now that he learns female Tempest Dragons might hunt him down every time he uses one for that to mate, he has decided that maybe its best to save him for emergencies. Also, while powerful, its not omnipotent and invincible, and can be defeated by Level 90s.

**Summon Follower: Nine Tailed Fox:** Although its Acquisition is still unknown, it is likely a unique summon only available to Foxtail Summoners. Although apparently it was preprogrammed in the game to alert the player to things and give him intel, as well as making various remarks casually, it appears Akamaru (the name of his summon) possesses actual intelligence since the Apocalypse, just like People of the Land. It can stay out indefinently, but its main form is low in combat use. It can however transform itself for a short time into a more powerful combat form, which lets it do a wide variety of things. However, it has its own MP bar that it draws from to do this, making it impossible to use all of its abilities non-stop and without reserve.

**Summon Follower: Shield Maiden:** A powerful generic defensive summon, she is similar to a Guardian. She possesses high damage resistance and high HP, but low damage output. SHe is considered a Mid-Ranked Summon that is not too powerful, but still is useful, especially to summoners who play solo. Azato essentially uses her as his shield, though is a little concerned that all of his female summons are now showing affection towards him.

**Summon Follower: Lucky Cat:** A low ranked summon with little attack or defense power. Its only real purpose is increasing Luck, Critical Chance, and Critical Damage for allies within its radius. It also boosts loot drops. Azato took this into a casino on the server once, and the resulting fortune he made resulted in the Summon being banned in casinos since, and some animocity between him and the people who ran the casino.

He also used Lucky Cat to manipulate the odds of lower ranked skills he did not use being replaced with other skills everytime he leveled up, using his Foxtail race's special feature. This resulted in him amassing a lot of useful skills, though he did not always get lucky with the skills that were replaced, or what he got in exchange.

* * *

And now, here are some groups and guilds:

**Jantos Six:** A collection of young but highly intelligent boys who were rejected by other guilds and parties for "sounding too young and inexperienced". They ended up forming a party together and taking on various high level quests and raids. When they actually got good, a number of the people who initially rejected them tried to make nice and recruit them, but they turned them down. They did however work as Mercenaries during the Second Guild War, along with the current Guildmaster of Happy Quarts and her party at the time.

Unlike the Debauchery Tea Party though, the Jantos Six never broke up. They were all still active on Elder Tales when the Apocalypse happened, and as a result, were all online when everyone was sucked into this world. Since they all made their avatars in their image, they all appear as young boys, although several of them chose non-human races. They all possess higher then average intelligence at least, which is another reason they all formed their party.

There are some rumors that the group might know each other in real life.

**Happy Quartz Alliance:** A Guild that while Azato has never felt like joining, has supported a number of times. All of their members are on his friends list now, and he has done several raids and epic quests with the Guildmaster and high level members. Their Guildmaster is Aleria, a Level 90 Bard, and their second in command is Wisera, a level 90 Sorcerer. Their combat master is Tayce, a Level 90 Guardian.

Azato personally thinks that their guild would be the best protagonist, but all of their members fully realize it would be Azato that would be the protagonist.

Due to the Guildmaster's past, she has done a great job coping with the Apocalypse and getting her Guild focused and happy, rather then falling into despair. Azato believes they will be a great asset in the future towards restoring peace and hope to Big Apple.

**Trueheart Legion:** One of the largest Warrior guilds on the server, they believe in Knighthood and doing the right thing. They also participated in both the First Guild Wars, and the Second GUild Wars, and were on the same side as the Jantos Six and the current Guildmaster of the Happy Quarts Alliance during the second. Neither of those who participated in the First Guild Wars though, as it happened before either joined Elder Tales. They are led by Lionheart, a Level 91 (previously 90) Guardian who was very quick to give hope to his forces, and stopped them from falling into despair by giving them quests and goals under the idea of "preparing resources for whatever they might need in the future".

**Silver Wing:** A small support guild like Happy Quartz, they do a wide variety of things from crafting, to supplying support teams for raids, to a whole lot of other things.

**Arcane Tower:** A guild composed entirely of people who can use magic, even their tanks are outfitted and equipped to help them learn magic by taking subclasses such as Holy Warrior, Arcane Knight, Magic Initiate, Elementalist, and others. They are a large "Warrior" guild, though they are better known as a Battlemage Guild. They possess a large Guild Hall that is a massive fortress with a tower at the center, and even possess their own Transport Gate. It should be noted their Inter City Transport Gate is down, but they are doing experiments on how to reactivate them.

**The Family: **(Canon Guild) A Mafia style guild that had an infamous reputation even when it was a game, they were one of the quickest to adapt due to their ambitious nature. They are one of the largest guilds on the server, possibly the largest, and possess a large amount of Level 90s and combat abilities. They are rather antagonistic towards the Jantos Six as they fought against them in the Second Guild War, even though most people have already forgiven each other by this point.

**Star Corp:** One of the biggest crafting guilds on the Server, they produce a large amount of items, and have raid teams dedicated to obtaining Phantasmal Class materials. Even with the Apocalypse, they have still decided to focus on producing high quality weapons, armor, and items to improve people's lives here and support whatever operation might get them home. They are also searching for the possibility of a higher rank of items being introduced that is above Phantasmal Class. They have frequently worked with Jantos Six to secure these high quality materials, and completed the Liberty's Fall raid with them after completing the Epic Quest, so they have a strong friendship.

**Secret Circle:** A rather unusual and unorthodox Guild, they have multiple level 90s and might be considered a Warrior Guild. In truth, they are more of an intelligence, stealth, and sabotage guild. A majority of their players have skills that involve stealth and sneaking, with the few that are not being trusted crafters that personally created materials and special equipment for them in secrecy. They possesses knowledge and information on everyone in the server, and their Guild Hall is currently in an unknown location, though its believed to be somewhere in Big Apple.

**Market** **Square:** ANother major crafting guild, Market Square has taken up residence in Big Apple, and specializes in custom weapons and gear. Since the Apocalypse, they were one of the fastest to recover, even faster then The Family, and are experimenting to find new recipes and techniques. They were on the other side of Jantos Six and Star Corp, but they hold no grudges from this. They also sometimes assemble raiding parties to get items that people will want to buy.

**Knights of Wen:** One of the big Warrior Guilds, they are a pretty basic group and have one of the highest population of members. Many of them have the Subclass of Knight, Noble, and such. A few days after the Apocalypse, and some of them already were at Level 91. While clearly dedicated to the game, and being the best warriors, they do end up doing a lot of roleplay as well.

**Aetherius:** A Guild that is operated by some of the admins and administrators of the game and server. They are known for following the spirit of Roleplay, but also for having branches that go into multiple branches of guilds, having Support Divisions, Crafting Divisions, Fighting Divisions, Exploration Divisions, and so on. They also have various government, municipal, and maintence services. They also have maid services, bodyguard services, event coordinators, and even lawyers and legal resolvers. They have one of the largest guilds.

**Blitzbreak:** Not an official Guild, its a group that was fashioned after the Tea Party, or the Jantos Six, being members from all over the place that would come together. While they agreed they would never be able to be in the same guild due to creative differences, they share a spirit of passion and ideas, and often went on various raids and epic quests the moment they were released. They often competed with the Jantos Six, but they also worked together with them as well on some raids. A group of them helped them complete the Liberty's Fall Raid after compling the epic quest.

* * *

Player Cities:

BIg Apple: (Canon City) Its New York

South Angel: (Canon City) Its LA

Northpoint: A City in the Canada Area, its one of the most northern cities, and is right before the massive snow filled region known as The Frozen Wastes.

Orlenso: New Orleans

Central Hub: A city located in the center of the continent.

Canyon City: A city located in the Grand Canyon. It features a lot of buildings, private zones, and such built into the rock walls, and is considered one of the most unique and interesting cities. Interestingly enough, while its main Inter-City Transport Gate is still down, the Beta Transport Gate just a few miles away that connected it to a Beta Transport gate located a few miles from Big Apple is still operational, possibly because of the fact it is not connected to the main network. Beta Gates only connected to one other gate, and few pairs existed, especially after some of the Expansion Packs changed the zones they used to be in. Its also one of the oldest and most populated.

There are plenty of others, but now there should be a good number to choose from.

* * *

It should be noted that I have also come up with ideas for new subclasses, spells, and such. Here are some of them as well.

**Child Prodigy:** Requirements: Have a child looking character help complete an entire raid from start to finish while under level, and having provided enough support to not be considered carried. Benefits: Bonuses include an increase in skills you can upgrade, an ability to obtain rare skills easier, and an ability to have a chance for storyline bonuses. As a lot of it relies on chance, it is also considered a Gambler's subclass. That said, it does have some other stable increases. You receive a bonus to experience gained, and you can pick up some skills not normally accessible to your class or subclass. Finally, you get several abilities that help you be independent, such as the cooking skill, the repair skill, and so on.

**Arcane**** Knight:** Requirements: Being a Warrior or Weapon Specialist Class. Allows you to exchange some Warrior and Weapon Skills for Magic Skills.

**Elementalist:** Requirements: Being a Mage or Healer Class. You are able to learn various Elemental Attack Magic, and get a boost to it. You also get bonuses to elemental resistance.

**Magic Initiate:** You can learn some low level magic skills from one of the three Magic Classes.

**Blood of the Druids:** Requirements: Not being a druid, being at least level 30. You gain some of the Druid skills and abilities, but at the cost of a small decrease to your HP.

**Alcoholic:** When under the effects of alcohol, all of your abilities gain increases, and you become harder to hit. However, going without alcohol for too long will result in penalties which will increase the longer it has been since your last drink.

**Blood of the Fairies: **Requirements: Being at least level 70, You have a descendent or ancestor that was a Fairy, or got it through some sort of other reason. Your HP will be lower, but your MP will be larger, and you will have access to special Fairy Magic.

**Gunner: **Requires being at least Level 50. You gain increased damage with firearms, and can also craft them. You also gain the option to dual wield one handed firearms.

* * *

Hope this helps, and that you enjoy them!


	5. Chapter 5: Strife and Discovery

**Chapter 5: Strife and Discovery**

While things were going on elsewhere, two boys emerged from a dungeon, looking near death and like they had gone through hell. Given it was a low level area, it seemed unusual aside from when new players got too reckless, but then again the dungeon had not been there before the Apocalypse.

"...yaaaay!" Alari mentioned, as he finally dropped to his back on the ground. The Elf Boy who was dressed in light armor took some nice, deep breaths as he got a bit of rest and relaxation. He was dressed as a Bard, or at least the remains of one.

"...we...are finally...free..." the Half Alv, Juni mentioned as he collapsed with him, breathing deeply.

The Dungeon they had just escaped from had not been there. They had decided to casually go exploring the sights before the update. Now, normally when a region changed while people were still in it, they had to leave the area, and then after reloading it the changes would appear. But, this did not happen this time around, thanks to the Apocalypse.

"I just want a bath! A meal and a bath! And a bed!"

"I want all of that, and hugs!"

And as they were complaining, an old man came over to them. A man who was...a Person of the Land?

"By any chance, are you adventurers that need a place to stay and take a bath?"

* * *

"So yeah...that's why our trip took longer then we originally planned" Azato mentioned, this time sitting on the other side of the couch, as the Guildmaster's lap had been occupied by Alabam who they had rescued. It had been two weeks now since they left, and about sixteen Days since the Apocalypse. Next time, Azato was going to remember a faster and longer lasting summoning flute. He only had Horses, since they had figured using Tempest Dragon would be fine. But the whole trip home, they could feel her lurking nearby. The female Tempest Dragon.

"I see...well, we wanted to spare you while you were traveling, but things have gotten rather worse here in Big Apple" Aleria told them, as Wisera showed them some maps and charts.

"What is going on?"

"Territories, invisible walls, are being set up all over. To make matters worse, there is someone out there who has discovered a way to make real food, not all of the bland stuff we have been forced to eat".

"It would be fine if they told everyone else, or was charging normally, but he is seriously overpricing. 200 gold for a smoothie. 300 gold for a burger. 400 gold for a chicken strip basket! And because its the only flavorfull food in town, people are going crazy. If its not solved soon, people will riot!"

"Yeah...even we occasionally end up paying, just to get a sense of real flavor..."

At this point, Azato, Zats, Samari, and Runzo all gave shocked looks.

"...wait, what do you mean, bland food?"

"...wht do...have you not eaten anything aside from ingredient items since you got here?"

"No, we have been cooking our food properly and eating it. Wait...have you been using the command menu?"

"Of course. Well, a few of us tried it the normal way, but it only turned to purple goo that tasted even worse...why?"

"Well, its just...we have all been eating really delicious food and meat".

"Eh?"

"What was that?"

"Say that again?"

"Oh yeah! I really loved Master Runzo's cooking!"

"Well of course. That is because I have all the cooking skills maxed out".

"...but my tea was better!"

"Wait, are you saying you all have cooked real food this whole time, without using the command menu?"

"Of course! A real maid would never use the Command Menu, but would make the tea and food himself!"

"And I am used to being on my own, so my first instinct is to use my hands to make food. Plus, I also have cooking skills".

Cooking Skills. To get them all easily, one would need the Subclass of Chef, but there were other jobs that could make food. Maid and Elder Maid, for example. Azato's own subclass, Child Prodigy, gave him several skills that let him support the party or be solo, including cooking. As for Runzo, he has the Sword Saint subclass, but seems to have picked up cooking skills from a limited time event they offered once and leveled them to the point of being equal to a level 90 Chef.

Actually, there was a production class that got you most of them as well, Alchemist. Since it involved a lot of things like chemistry, ingredients, and so on, they also had Chef skills. Tayce, a Level 90 Guardian, and Happy Quartz' Combat Leader, still looked a bit shocked and disbelieving though.

"...so wait...you are saying...all of you...can cook food?"

"Sure. Runzo, lets share some of our leftovers with them..."

And so, only a few seconds later...

"Oh my this is so amazing!"

"Its juicy and rich and delightful!"

"I can feel the meat melting in my mouth!"

"""Without a doubt this is...REAL FREAKING FOOD!"""

Aleria, Wisera, and Tayce all shouted in joy and excitement.

"So yeah. Now you know. Dont use the command menu, and make sure whoever does it has the right cooking skill".

"Most likely, the food can get even better if you get someone with the actual subclass of Chef to make it also".

"Oh yeah, that too".

"So, back to the matter at hand...there is some guy charging way too much for food, but what else?"

"Lately, we have reports that some of the new players, those not in a Guild, are going missing, while others are being tricked or forced into joining Guilds for their EXP potions. Not to mention, The Family is trying to establish itself as the leader of Big Apple. And I am pretty sure that if the tension stays the way it is, there will be riots".

"But, the Riots cant get that bad right? So long as the Royal Guard exist, people cant fight in the city..."

"No, that might only make it worse" Azato mentioned. "The Royal Guards are not really a law, but more of a response program. And only to aggression. And they dont cover any place outside of the PvP zones".

"And if The Family has their way, the whole city might become a PvP zone. It seems that now, every single piece of land is purchasable. Speaking of which, I know you amassed a fortune..."

"I have. Over 40 million in gold" Azato admitted. "But, the Guild Building alone is Eight Million. THe Cathedral, Ten".

The GUild BUilding. It was larger then other GUild BUildings, due to the size of BIg Apple, and was actually stationed inside where Grand Central Station would be. In there, people would set up market stalls, sell and trade goods, and various guilds had their Guild Halls there.

"...hold on. Has The Family realized they can purchase all the zones yet? They should have a lot of money saved up. Even if it would cost a monthly tax, I am surprised they have not yet".

"That's because a group already bought those areas to prevent abuse. Both the Guild Hall, and the Cathedral. Aetherius".

Aetherius. They were a Guild that was actually owned and operated by some of the designers and moderators of the game. It would make sense that they had the gold for it, not to mention the decency not to abuse it.

"I suppose...we should probably go and talk to them then" Azato mentioned. Suddenly, that was when a Werecat rushed through the door.

"Guildmaster! Everyone! Some guys from Aetherius just showed up!"

"...right on cue, as always..."

The Guildmaster gave the girl a nod, and she left to go let them in.

"You think they are here..."

"They are probably here for a report about Northpoint" Azato mentioned, as several people wearing white and blue colored armor and clothes walked in. Their Guildmaster, Watchgate, their Second in Command, Hyzen, and one of their Commanders, Saphira.

"That would be correct".

Azato seemed a bit annoyed, and on edge, with Watchgate, while Zats seemed mostly confused and unsure. Runzo kept his cool completely though.

"Fine then. Yes, the Inter-City Transport Gate is down. Yes, the Blackstone Guild was in control when we left, though if the members listened to what I said, that might have changed. And yes, I have noticed the situation about the People of the Land".

"Wait, what? What situation? Other then passing a few of them, nothing really happened with them I thought".

"Its something I noticed, but...there are more of them. Now, you should know about the update? I want you to tell me everything you remember that changed".

"Well, the Level Cap did go up from 90 to 100. We received the update at the same time as the Japanese Server, since the game was made in North America first. To answer the obvious, there was nothing in the update that would trap everyone here. ANd no, we did not add hundred of new People of the Land, nor did we write them to display all emotions and answer every question as if each one of them is an AI. And furthermore, we did not disable the Transport Gates. As for all the details, I dont know them all, but I do know several dungeons were added, as well as raids and events. However, I have observed that People of the Land are acting differently. They have families now, backstories, emotions. They can be charmed and threatened, as well as bribed".

"Is that it?"

"I know where one of your members of the Jantos Six is that you may have not been able to reach yet. The human cleric boy, that goes by Tayven".

Azato remembered Tayven. For some reason, he was listed as online, but would never been able to be contacted yet.

"Where is he?"

"Trapped in a Dungeon. To be exact, he is trapped in the room of a final boss. Before the Apocalypse, you see, he was helping me test a Dungeon for the update. We had already tested it, but it was not a bug concern but one of balancing. Because of that, he already had the update downloaded and was in the game when everyone else went in. There is a boss at the end, that drains ones mana points".

Watchgate then brought up his hud, and opened the party screen. Tayven was still there, listed in the party. However, his MP was at Zero, while his HP remained the same.

"It turns out we had found a sort of bug, if you wanted to be technical. If one had zero mana points, the boss would not attack that person. However, after we entered the apocalypse, he collapsed to the ground instantly. I went to try and wake him up, but because we had suddenly woken up in the room of a Dungeon Boss, we were caught off balance, and several members of the party were sent to the Cathedral. By the time I could get my footing, I was the only one left. That was when I noticed the boss was not targeting him, only me still. And since I had no idea what might happen if I died as well yet, since we were all still in shock, I had to retreat without him...in retrospect, if I had sent him to the Cathedral, knowing he wouldn't die..."

"Well, I mean...PKing is still pretty bad, right?" Aluria mentioned.

"No, in that instance, PKing would have been better. Think about it, if in this world we cant even die, that eternal sleep like that would be worse. I dont know why having zero MP points is keeping him asleep though...still, at least we know where he is. What level is the Dungeon anyways?"

"Since it was new content with a boss with a powerful ability like that, Level 96".

Azato twitched at that. There was no way they could rush into a Level 96 Dungeon yet. However...neither should they, unless...

"Yes, for the testing, I had amplified our levels, including your friend's as a reward. He is a level 96 Cleric, and we are all Level 96 as well".

"So, if you have a party ready, why have you not gone to get him yet?"

"Because, right now we are one of the few things keeping the peace here. The Family knows that we are level 96 already, and know we have superior gear. But they also know we dont have the almighty admin authority. And its not just them, other guilds are trying to take up zones, and we still have the issue of that guy extorting everyone for food with flavor".

"...oh, we solved the mystery to that already".

"...I should have known you would".

And so, once again, they explained Real Food Preparation to them.

"You know, you probably could have taken advantage of this as well to make a lot of coin".

"I already have a lot. Besides, we will probably need to be friendly and allied to each other" Azato said, the begrudgingness in his voice easily noticable.

"...and you know, now that you cant log out into the real world anymore, you might want to consider making your own Guild. You will need a place to call home after all, a place for you and your friends to all have a safe place to call home and relax".

On those words, he left just like that. Tayce looked between the two of them, and wondered.

"Do you two have history?"

"Its...a long story..."

Meanwhile, as they walked out of the Guildhall and were far from earshot, Watchgate sighed as he took out a small trinket in his hand.

"Sir, what is it between you to anyways?" Saphira, one of his Commander's, asked as she turned around to face him. "He seemed pretty hostile towards you, and while you dont really last out, I have never seen you just let it happen like that".

"I made a mistake. A mistake I should have been able to avoid making, but didn't...come on, lets keep moving".

And meanwhile, another figure was lurking nearby, listening in.

_Target Acquired_.

Sometime later, and Azato kicked a rock out of his way as he thought of how to handle the situation. The whole thing with Watchgate had him fairly ticked off, so he wanted to focus on something else to distract him.

However, he was right. It was really risky to sleep outside at this point. Even if PvP was disabled, he might still get robbed or something, or who knows what else. They had already seen that the Royal Knight system could be gamed, so it was feasibly possible for The Family to go after him in the street. And it would be nice to have a place to sleep in.

Not to mention, there was the whole matter of missing adventurers to investigate. And they had apparently gone missing in a low ranked area, such as the Winding Forest, where the biggest danger was getting lost. But, not enough to go totally missing. He had to wonder what was going on with that.

"Alright, everyone...we managed to get some rest at Happy Quartz, so before anything...lets go rescue those adventurers" he decided, as they started to head off again.

* * *

Meanwhile, at a rather nice two story house inside a village of the People of the Land, the two boys Alari and Juni were both sharing a bath, though they both had to sit with their knees sticking up to not be touching each other.

"I wish this bathtub was bigger" Juni mentioned, as the two boys started to wash up.

"Ah, here! Turn around, I will get your back!" Alari said, stretching his legs out a little. "Its not like this is the first time after all. Remember, when we went camping that one time, and we shared a sleeping bag! Or the time we shared a bed together! Or the other times we shared baths together!"

"Yeah, I get it I get it. Its just, we are in another guy's home. Also, I gotta say...the NPCs seem a lot more lively and fleshed out as well" he mentioned.

And downstairs, the person of the land was carrying the belongings they had taken off beforehand downstairs. And standing in his living room, waiting, was an adventurer in jet black armor.

"They are upstairs. Feel free to get them when you are ready".

"Heh. Well done" he said. "What are they like? Any women?"

"Just two young boys".

"Well then...unfortunately for them, there wont be a hero to save them tonight..." he said, as he started to walk forward...


	6. Chapter 6: Rescue and Recovery

**Chapter 6: Rescue and Recovery**

"You know..." Alari mentioned, as he relaxed a bit more in the nice warm bath. "It really is nice and peaceful here, at least..."

"...even though we are in a game, and have been fighting monsters non stop all day with a lower then recommended party, in the middle of a high level dungeon?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, look out the window at the stars".

The two of them looked out the window, and Juni sighed a little.

"I suppose it is a pretty great sight".

"I wish we could just stay like this forever, watching this beautiful sight" Alari added.

"...I swear, if anyone else was here, they would totally mistake this as a rom com or something..."

"I dont see why people cant just understand good and natural friendship. Especially with me, the super cute pop idol".

That was when the door started to creek open.

* * *

"You know...its occurred to me, our party has a bit of a problem" Samari mentioned, as they walked through the forest.

"Really?"

"We have two tanks, one damage dealer, and a summoner".

"I deal damage to you know! I am DPS!"

"But we dont have a healer!"

"That's true. We have yet to find one. I swear, we need to find everyone else. I mean, we will need them to rescue Tayven anyways".

"Yeah, I know..."

That was when they heard movement around them.

"Monsters?"

"Nah. Prey" Azato said, as he quickly disabled the Teacher System along with everyone else. Yes, in truth, they had been wondering around like this, with their levels purposefully lowered by the Teacher system to trick the people out here. It seemed they were focusing on low level players, so they had used the system to trick them into gathering their forces to Ambush them. "Sword Princess!"

"Son of a..."

"Its a trap!"

"Run!"

Sword Princess. A summon that uses a lot of mana, and appears only for an instant to deal massive damage to all nearby enemies, before disappearing. She basically would only last a few seconds in battle, though supposedly if used outside of battle, and she did not use her attack, she could last for a lot longer.

"...was it really wise to use her before knowing how many there really were?"

"It uses a lot of mana for sure, but they had us surrounded, and several of them were decently leveled. It was better then us all using mana and taking damage before we find their boss...oh".

"What was oh?"

"Well, between the battle a Northpoint, the encounter and survival of a level 95 Tempest Dragon, and just now...I got my first level".

Everyone stared at him. They all knew his subclass had something to do with that.

"Lose any skills?"

"Ahh...I lost one I never used, and I gained Assassinate".

"...a summoner with Assassinate...so basically, only useful if you use your Death Scythe".

"Basically".

With those words said, the group started to loot all of the enemies, while Zats cleaned the area up and made it as if there was never a fight here in the first place, even hiding and disguising the few who just passed out from fear.

"Welp, no one is telling us anything, but they came from that direction, so lets head that way..."

And then, they all heard a massive explosion.

* * *

Turning back time a little...

"Sorry brats, but I am afraid your luck just ran out" he said, as he walked into the bathroom and looked at the two boys.

"Ahh! Its a pervert!"

"Pedo! Pedo!"

"What...no, I was just here to kidnap...oh shut up!"

"Song of the Snails!"

"Disorientation".

Their outcrys had thrown the man off a little, as they jumped out of the tub soaking wet and ran into the room behind him, closing the door on their way out.

"I am really cold and soaking went Juni!"

"Alari, can you just bring up your menu now and use the command?!"

Meanwhile, outside the house, the adventurers were looking at all the items looted...when they noticed something off.

"Hey...these brats are supposed to be new players right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, their items and equipment are all Artifact level or higher, and require extremely high levels..."

"But I was told they were middle schoolers, maybe elementary..." he started, when he heard the glass break. They looked up to see two naked bodies, but that was before their faces were used as landing pads by their feet. As they went to grab tehir stuff though, the man in black armor landed behind them, and grabbed both their arms by one hand and hoisted them into the air, slapping some restraint that looked like heavy, durable handcuffs on both of their wrists.

"You two are really annoying! Just how high level are you brats!" he checked, when he saw the truth.

Alari. Elf. Level 90 Bard. Subclass: Idol.

Juni. Half-Alv. Level 90 Druid. Subclass: Artificer.

And as he realized that, he noticed that the Druid had charged up a pure magical bolt, while the Bard had used a skill to amplify it by humming. Which meant, he got a face full of magical bolt and stumbled back. By the time he got up, they already had their pants back on, as well as their bags. Even though they had managed to stumble him back, that restraint was a powerful magic item. They couldn't get it off, not with their skillsets.

"Damn, you both seem scrawny and weak, but you are actually quite strong...you had no muscle or height, so I thought you were just brats".

At that point, the Person of the Land who had led them here earlier tried to grab them from behind to restrain them. BUt now that they had weapons and gear, and knew about the trap, they kicked him away.

"Oh no, I think you two should stop right there...unless, you also want to see his grandkids suffer".

As he said that, he snapped his fingers, and two more goons approached, holding swords to the throats of small children. Likely his grandkids. In other words, he was being forced to do this.

"So, what, you just kidnap people naked or something?"

"Well, people tend to be a lot more...compliant, when they are not armed to the teeth and wearing protective gear...now, we are going to have to make you hurt. And dont bother trying to use telepoartion, that restraint blocks it".

"Why would we need to?"

"We can easily take you both down".

They said that, but the situation was not the best. A Bard and a Druid. And their movements were being impeded. It was not the best situation.

And then, they both got a notification.

"You have been added to Azato's party!"

"Eh?" was all the people holding the children got to say, before they both got attacked from behind by an Assassin. Zats.

And at the same time, he did a backflip and landed between the two of them, using his lockpick skill he released the restraint in under a second.

And then, at that point, he got grabbed from behind...by a Slime?

In that instant, Azato walked out along with Samari and Runzo.

"Ah! Azato! Nice to see you here!"

"Nice...to see you...I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CALL YOU FOR DAYS! TAKE YOURSELFS OFF OF DO NOT DISTURB!"

"Ah..."

"Ooops…."

"Sorry, but the place where we had been standing previously, an update put a Dungeon there. It was only the two of us, so we spent the last several days exploring and fighting the high level monsters in it".

"Yeah, we did not have time to be distracted by stuff...sorry!"

"Uhg...we can talk more about this later" he said, walking over to the man. "Now, you might be thinking right now, its a slime, I will just break out and punch the Summoner. But know, if you try that, I will immediately summon something that has teeth. Something that wont sent you to the Cathedral, that will make yo usuffer, and hurt, and feel agony. And the only way I don't do this, is if you tell me where you are keeping the others hostages, tell me how to release them, and you stop doing this and never do it ever again. Is that understood?"

Even though the man was a Level 90 himself, and a psychopath, he understood not to screw around here. He was surrounded by a Level 90 Monk, Bard, Samurai, Assassin, Bard, and Druid. They had a variety of ways to keep him alive and suffering, and even though it was a small boy threatening him, the bloodlust was real.

And so, he told them everything, even their plans. It seemed that they had planned to sell captured, enslaved adventurers to People of the Land for huge profits. Apparently, there was a market for all of this. Workers, Women, Secretaries, even children were desired.

And so...once he as done, he was quickly beheaded and sent to the Cathedral.

"Come on, lets go clean this up".

"The gang is back together! Well, aside from Tayven".

"He is stuck in a dungeon fast asleep. We need to rescue him next, and then deal with the situation in Big Apple" Azato said, annoyed. At this, Alari grabbed him, turned him around, and kissed him.

"You snapped out of your mood yet?"

"Wh-wh...you could have found a better way!"

"Yeah, but now I got to see you blush with this face. Anyways, you needed some time to chill. How are we supposed to be the Jantos Six, us searching for new adventures, hunting down new skies, reaching for the edge, if you are this moody?"

Nd it was in that moment, that Azato had an idea...

"Sorry, you are right" Azato said. "Just some things happened lately, that put me in a bad mood. Anyways, there is one more thing I should mention. I have decided to make a guild".

"Oooh! Really?"

"Yeah, and you are all invited...and its name fits us brilliantly. We are those that hunt for new adventures, new tales, new skies...and so, our Guild would be...Skyline Hunters".

And meanwhile, in the shadows, a figure just watched them all, waiting. He was briefly shown in the moonlight, revealing his elven ears, but then quickly re-hid himself.

It was not time yet, but soon...he would eliminate his assigned target. He was not sure why this order had been requested, but since he was being paid for it, he would do his job diligently.

He would kill Azato.

* * *

That was the end of the chapter, but here is a bit of a bonus section:

"Alright everyone, so I am going to look for a place to put our Guild Hall in" Azato said, as he clapped his hands together while they were meeting in the park, wearing just casual clothes this time. "So, what does everyone else want?"

"We need big public baths! Maybe even a hot springs!"

"There is no volcanic activity here, so the latter is denied!"

"Can we get a library?" Juni asked. "It seems like we might need something to kill time inbetween missions, so a library would be good. My subclass has some skills from a scribe, so that I can make journals and notes on what I am making".

"Library, Game Room, and Workshop? Got it!"

"We should have a training room" Runzo suggested.

"And of course, a cafeteria and Maid room!" Zats added.

"I want a gym!"

"We already have a Training Room suggestion! That's basically a Gym!"

"I would recommend adding in a meeting room, a planning room, and two storage rooms at least" Aluria said, having appeared out of nowhere and provided input as a Guildmaster herself.

"Not in the guild, but as a veteran Guildmaster, I will take it under advisement!"

"I would recommend a vault" Wisera added. "To keep valaubles safe, just in case".

"Hmmm...sounds reasonable!"

"Oh, this seems like a fun conversation" Watchgate added as he walked by. "You know what is really great?"

"No".

"A gallery full of images taken or made of your greatest moments to be remembered".

"Im not asking you for input".

"And of course, the Guildmaster's private room, full of his personal and maybe secretive things".

"Shut up".

"And maybe also, a dressing room".

"I said be quiet".

"You could put a dartboard in one of those, with my picture on it maybe?"

"...ill take it under advisement. Now, does anyone IN THE GUILD have anything to say?"

"Well, how about a med-bay? You know Tayven will insist on having one".

"Agreed! Anything else?"

"Are we all going to bunk up together?" Samari asked.

"No, girls and boys will be separated".

"So you five will be sleeping together. Hey, is the rumor true you dont wear P..."

"Shut up!" Azato said, storming off. "That's enough! I will handle this myself!"

"What did I do?"

"He is still kinda annoyed Watchgate came by".

"...ah, right".

And so, the Guild Hall Discussion was concluded...


	7. Chapter 7: Rising Tension

**Chapter 7: Rising Tension**

"This seems weird" Juni mentioned as they walked through town. "IS it me, or does it feel like the tension is going through the roof?"

"Yeah, a lot of people seem on edge and sem really aggressive...and others just feel suppressed or helpless. Is it me, or are things here getting worse and worse?" Nao added.

"I would say, they are rapidly deteriorating..." Aza replied, as he looked around. "We should go see what is up".

* * *

"What do you mean, extortion?" Aza questioned Aleria and Wisera.

"Yeah...it seems that, while we were all worried and busy with the rescue operation, and then handling all the new discoveries you gave us, someone else was causing their own issues..."

It was just the start of June, and yet it seemed that things had not gotten better yet, but instead have gotten worse.

"There was someone out there extorting everyone, making them buy overpriced food for awhile. Most of our members have been holed up here in our guild hall, and since we are a small guild, we dont really get information as quickly as everyone else".

"...yeah, but that jerk must have known. ANd he didn't say anything".

"That jerk...you mean, Watchgate? I am confused...exactly what happened between you two to make you hate him so much?"

"He broke his promise is what, and it gave me hell".

"His...promise?"

"Anyways, so what exactly do you think will happen?"

Almost, in that instant...there was an explosion outside, and that was followed by the lights signaling the arrival of the Royal Guard.

"What the hell was that?"

"Its a crowd outside! It looks like...they are rioting!"

"Tsk...we have to go help them!"

Juni tried to run out, but was stopped by Azato.

"What? What is it?"

"We cant help without a plan. The Royal Knights might be reacting to some of them, but if they are still rioting, that means most of them are not triggering a reaction yet".

"...so we need a plan to deal with this and not trigger the Royal Guards ourselves".

"Exactly. We need to figure out a plan".

"Well" Wisera mentioned. "I think we should reveal the secret on a massive scale. If they learn how to do it themselves, then they might stop rioting. At least some of them".

"That would be good, but its not enough. We need several ways to calm them down".

"And we have to do it in a way that wont get us killed".

Azato was not particularly thrilled in this situation. He preferred to think of a plan before the action, but in this case, it was being dropped right on top of them. This would be a true test of their improvisation skills.

"...I think I have a plan. The issue is...I am not one hundred percent sure it will work fully" he said, as he looked up at them.

* * *

The crowds outside were in full bloom now, as the rioting fever spread feverently. It was rushing out at a pace far faster then Azato had expected.

"Hey...just what the hell is going on here? This is crazy".

"Yeah...well, I guess everyone got really fed up with a monopoly quickly" Zats said as the two of them ran down the street and through the crowds.

"Still, you think this is the right place?"

"It will...if anyone can get us what we need, its them".

Amid the riot, there was a single business, a player run business, that was operating with open doors and seemingly unaffected. It was a small coffee shop, and was seemingly unaffected and uninvolved with the mess. A number of younger, more timid adventurers were huddled inside for protection, but the staff was serving them as if nothing was wrong.

Even in the wake of sudden rioting and tension, they could keep their cool. This was the place Azato walked into.

"Master Azato" one of them said as an Elven Boy walked up. His avatar appeared to be just a little older then them, about fifteen years old. According to the HUD, he was a level 20 Bard named Samso. "Welcome back. Would you like the usual?"

"Yeah...and can you make it quickly?" he said as he walked in.

"Very good. The back room is ready for you".

The waiter then brought them into the back room, where a Dwarf was seated at the opposite end of the table.

"Normally, we would have to search you, but...the urgent situation has expedited matters".

"Of course" Azato replied, as Samso walked by him and his level immediately jumped to Level 90. As for the man in front of him, he was a Level 90 Enchanter named Regalius, the Guild Leader of Secret Circle, a Guild that could technically be called a Warrior Guild, but in truth they focus on Stealth, Sabotage, and Secrecy.

As for the boy, he was a member of Miracle Moon, but that was just a coverguild for Secret Circle. In truth, Miracle Moon was Secret Circle. However, when in public, he used the Teacher System to pretend to be a lower ranked player.

Of course, this was not hidden from Azato, who had done plenty of business with Secret Circle to know and have access to inside information. In exchange, Azato vouched for and brought in their members for certain raids and events into his group, with people who would not spread their identies around or gossip. This allowed for them to maintain their secretive nature.

"I hear you made a Guild, by the way...Skyline Hunters was it? How fitting of someone so ambitious as you" Regalius replied.

"Indeed. But first off, we need to know your information so far, on who the ringleaders of the riots are, the countermeasures you have thought up, and...I need your help in stopping it".

"Our Direct help? That's unusual for you to ask".

"Direct...maybe, but its not as revealing as you might think. To be honest, its mainly Samso that I need, with you getting the equipment secured to back him and one of my guildmates at the epicenter of all this".

"I see...you certainly do not waste any time...in truth, we need this as much as you do".

This statement was a bit of a shock to Azato.

"Wait...are you saying..."

"Just less then an hour ago, my agents discovered something. There were several starting points for the riots".

"Several? You sure?"

That was a major issue in itself. A riot was normally one group of people, shouting and making noise, with people joining in as it goes. It starts it one place, then expands like a massive tumor. But...multiple starting points indicates coordination. It indicates intent. It means, this was not some accident...this was intentionally done, with the idea in mind to cause trouble.

In other words, someone initiated this riot intentionally. That is why it suddenly got crazy out of nowhere. Why it came on so suddenly, and without warning. This was not a natural thing, but something that happened artificially.

"And, we confirmed one Guild was in the center of it all...The Family".

"So then, what...they are starting the riots to gain control of the city?"

"Exactly. If we dont stop them, they will use this to rally the people under their banner. First they unite them through purpose, then one of their own will get up on center stage, someone who was with the rioters the whole time and is recognized, and convince them to join them all. Keep them all hot blooded, get them to join...and then, their faction's population will skyrocket".

"And that increase in forces will give them more power in the city".

"They are already buying up territory...rumor has it, they plan to go for all the major travel areas. Aetherius managed to gain control of the Guild Building, Grand Central, and the Cathedral before they did...but it will still be close".

Azato nodded.

"Alright...then, if we want to beat them, I need you to prepare this for me".

Azato said that, and handed over a list.

"Ohhh...you have quite the idea here...alright then, Secret Circle is with you...but you know, we will need something to stabilize the city afterwards".

"Yeah...I know, but for now lets focus on the more immediate problem".

* * *

"Everything is going the way you wanted, boss" a large man came and said to the leader of The Family, Godfather. That was his actual character name, Godfather. The undisputed leader of The Family. In retrospect, it was not very creative, but as the leader, no one really questioned it.

"Good, good" the elf replied as he swung his chair around. "If we can pull this off, we should have control of the city in no time".

"Aetherius is already moving against us though, as are some other guilds who are trying to stop the rioting".

"And in doing so, putting themselves in conflict with the people, which will make it even easier for us".

As he said that, someone immediately ran in.

"Sir! We found several of our lower ranked people taken out downstairs, with a letter stuffed in one of their mouths!"

"What?"

He quickly took the letter from the man.

"Stop now or else".

It was not signed, but it was clear what they meant. He just chuckled though.

"Interesting..."

"Should we be concerned?"

"No...we have our enemies, someone would figure it out. But clearly they are afraid of us, so they wont risk speaking out. We shall continue".

* * *

"How close is everyone to completing their objectives?"

"I just need to keep beating up these guys without using any combat abilities, to not trigger the Royal Knights right?"

"Yeah...right now, the rioters are basically using pitchforks and torches for the most part. The Royal Knights wont react unless actual combat skills are used, so technically in the rules of the game, there is no combat being done right now".

"SO, just keep beating up the guys belonging to the Guild The Family right?"

"Exactly! ANd Alari?"

"The help you sent over has expedited things! We will soon be ready for battle!"

"Good! We are counting on you!"

"Never fear! As a great star, this is something I can do easily!"

"Runzo?"

"In position. It is a Samurai's job to protect and support the key position after all".

"Alright then...Zats, that means you are up for the critical role".

"Eliminate the one The Family will send to rally everyone under their banner, clean up any evidence so no one notices, and save the day, right?"

"Exactly...as for me, I know just what to do on my end".

"Then in that case..." Juni replied over the party communications. "Shall I prepare the opening act?"

"Do it...but wait for the key moment".

"Rodger!"

Zats rushed on ahead, leaving Azato to run forward. He was wearing his casual outfit right now, but he had his staff out. It was lighter and easier to run in, and actually provided some good protection. His casual clothes are just his boots, blue baggy shorts, and a white T shirt.

_You want a rapid riot? Well, we will show you a rapid response. We will show you the power of the Skyline__ Hunters...I will show you, Watchgate, everyone!_

* * *

"Sir, the riots are getting even worse" Saphira told Watchgate, who seemed to be staring out the window of their Guild Hall, Empire Tower. However, his eyes seemed unusually focused.

"Prepare in case his plan fails. I want our own people out there, to help as needed. In fact, I want you there to lead the charge".

"What about you, sir?"

As he watched, something caught his eye.

"I am going to catch a rat" he replied, as he teleported away in an instant.

* * *

Meanwhile, the riots had reached the center, where the man who had been extorting people for food was. He was someone who had been the source and reason for all their issues, and the one who the mob and riots had been headed towards. The artificially riled up crowd, among them were bards playing a silent tune that was meant to increase agro and aggression. Normally, abilities like this would not really affect players, but ever since the APocalypse, things have changed.

And the ones who had all this hostility directed towards them were panicking. A few people, including one guy dressed as a turtle, had already used Fairy Rings to escape the rioting. It had all come on so quickly. Sure, the negativity was around forever. But this was just an sudden explosion.

And as violence encircled him, because no combat moves were being done, no Royal Guards had arrived.

It was almost over...or at least, that was what they thought.

And then, loud music began to play out from the roof of a nearby building, so loud it was practically drowning them out. Everyone turned, to see a charismatic and charming boy step up onto the edge, instrument in hand. Others were with him, but their positioning made him the emphasis, the star. Even Samso would be unnoticed, compared to the blonde adorable charming appearance of the Bard, Alari. He was wearing shorts that were so short, they didn't even get close to his knees. His blonde hair was long, but not too long. His eyes, even from that distance, caught the attention of many.

But of course, this only made sense...after all, he was a Level 90 Idol. And then, he began to sing as the music continued.

"Counteraction rising..."

His words were energetic, and mood inspiring.

"...yeah, we are ready for the punch line".

And his support team was emphasizing it even more.

"There's no use with all your gimmicks...SO CHECK THIS OUT!"

And then, he kicked it up a notch further, as fireworks shot out of random spots in the crowd, and lit up the sky, distracting them all.

"Login you damned one's, crush the wont you compromise! The noise comes we are ready to bow, what about the antidote for the jammed and hypnotized?! Rend the lie that covers, whose the real sucker now!"

As if overridden, the music had caused the crowd to stop as it kept playing, and fireworks and other effects happened. This included the appearance of a Phoenix right above him, providing special effects, thanks to Azato.

"I'll embrace pain vivid as flowers, blooming in a riot of color. Gotta get through this looming town and leave my indecision behind! Let our voices cry with no way home ring out! We say Wooow wooow wooow wooow! Database Database, Just living in the Database Woow! The wall of pure finction's cracking in my head, and the addiction of my world still spreads in the Database! Database! Im struggling in the Database! Wooow woow!"

As he kept singing, more and more people calmed down. Of course, it helped he was using one of his own Bard abilities. Calming Poet. It was an ability that let him soothe monsters, or in this case players, lowering their damage and speed, and making it harder for them to switch agro.

"It doesn't even matter if there is no hope as the madness of the system grows! Database Database! Just living in the Database! Database! Database! Just say Woow wooow wooow wooooow!"

The song, which came to a conclusion, had caused everyone to forget their troubles and worry.

However, in the crowd, there was one person who still had worry. THat was the one who was meant to rally everyone behind the banner of The Family. After all, with this, all of the hostility and tension they would use was gone. He had to act quickly, before anything...

"Ahk?!" he exclaimed, though it was muffled by a rag over his mouth as he was dragged into an alley, and was proceeded to have all of his vital points slashed and stabbed. He never even got the chance to see who it was...

"All members of The Family have been removed from the crowd...but you sure you want it this way, Azato?"

"Yeah...Aleria, you are up".

And then, that was when the Guildmaster of the Happy Quartz Alliance stood up on a bench and began to address everyone.

"Attention! We have wonderful news for everyone!" she said, as her various guildmembers moved out and started putting up displays, posters, and the works, some of them already up. The unsung heroes of this, they had been working the whole time. "We have discovered the trick to making real food with flavor! All you need is someone with the Chef Subclass, or other cooking skill, you need to get them all the proper ingredients and working supplies, and then, rather then using the Command Menu...you need to actually cook it! Like with ovens, grills, pots, and such! The trick to making delicious food...is work and effort and doing it like you would in real life!"

This immediately destroyed the ambitions of both the man who had been extorting everyone for delicious food, and The Family. They knew eventually someone would catch on, but they hoped by using the rioting, they would get people dependent on them, and not figure it out for themselves. By sowing chaos, no one would establish order and ideas till it was too late. Keep everyone distracted and angry.

"And who knows, maybe this discovery could lead to new things we could not do before in the game in other areas? Like new dishes, or new inventions!" she mentioned. Or rather, as she voiced, as Azato and Wisera fed her lines telepathically. This was a critical point of Azato's beliefs. That if anyone could save this city, it was not someone like him who should take the spotlike, but Aleria.

Either way, now the plan had taken its next step. By talking about what they might be able to do with their skills aside from Real Food Preparation, they had other things to think about and look forward to. This would raise hope and desire and interest, and break up the riot even more. ANd now...now they just needed someone to show gratitude for. This was where Aleria would introduce herself and her Guild as the ones behind the revelation.

"Anyways! My name is Aleria, Guildmaster of the Happy Quartz Alliance!"

"Yes yes...now say that you..."

Before he could finish telling her lines to say, she spoke up on her own.

"And I hope everyone enjoyed the song, and the information".

"Perfect".

"...which we had received with our friends and partners who helped orchestrate all of this, the Skyline Hunters guild, led by Guildmaster Azato!"

"WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY?!" Azato shouted in shock from his hidey hole with Wisera. "Why...why would she do something like that?! She should get full credit".

Wisera just pat him on the head.

"Did you really think she would take credit for your plan? You must know her better htne that".

"What do you mean?!"

"Well, despite your shock and seeming displease...you are still smiling a little".

Azato did not even realize it, but he corrected himself.

"But..but...she was the one who was supposed to lead them to victory! Take all the credit, give everyone a proper good and happy icon, image, to help them!"

"She can only do so much though, and you have helped us all, and everyone else, plenty. Azato, you do deserve some credit for yourself...some joy and recognition".

They said this, as they leaned near a window in the building they were in.

"Besides...you will need that fame, that voice, to help us make this city a better place".

And while Wisera consoled him, a level 90 Assassin took aim at him. He checked, and this area was just close enough to the wilderness for PvP to be enabled. And then...he felt a sword go against his neck.

"I know we cant die, but don't you think this is a little extreme Heiso the Assassin...also known as Hitman Heiso?"

"Tsk...Watchgate?"

"That is right...I think its time you stop following this order".

"...I suppose it may..."

"I am curious, is this revenge? I know your infamy, of only being sent to the Cathedral three times. And I know that one of those was from Azato".

"Well, its clearly a close knit group, since you are also one of them" he mentioned.

"So, who ordered the hit?"

At those words, he remained silent. He tended to have a saying in the game, silence is golden. In fact, this was the most he had ever heard him speak, likely because of Watchgate's position and status, and also because this was now his real world, and he understood to some degree he had to communicate with others.

"Why?" he eventually asked. Watchgate vaguely understood the reason.

"Because I failed him...and given this new world, I want to make things right".

Watchgate remembered, back to what happened. He had come across a conflict between two players. A party who was trying to go on a mission, and an independent player who was complaining and angry at them. His first words was that he promised to help with the situation, and technically, he did. It just, was not the best choice. Because that independent player...was Azato. Apparently, he was angry because they had led him along, and then rejected him from their party. They claimed that they "needed more experienced people", that they "Were thinking of the group", that "they wanted help dealing with a user that harassed them".

And technically, that might be true...but, from the way he said it, how he acted...it was obvious. He was subtly and sneakily insulting, demeaning, and trashing Azato. But because of how it was happening, he ended up siding with them, even though they were in the wrong, and helped support a system of excluding and pressuring away younger users as a result. It seemed small, but those guys had actually done a lot of damage, and then he, who was supposed to help him, could do nothing but file their harassment complaint against Azato.

He didn't want to, but that was how it ended, because they technically broke no rules. They were just assholes, but assholes who kept telling everyone not to work with him, not only because of how he acted, but because "its better for the group to go with the more experienced and higher level people, people who are 'more mature and know what they are doing' sort of feel". IN other words, dont play with the kids, and you get included in higher ranked stuff.

"Fine" he said, walking away.

"...now, why am I unsure if I can believe him..." he said, looking suspiciously as night set over the city.


	8. Chapter 8: Establishing Structure

**Chapter 8: Establishing Structure**

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, a certain physics issue was brought to my attention today...anyways, hope you enjoy! Some heavy stuff is inbound!

* * *

"This is a terrible idea" Saphira mentioned. "After all, he hates you".

"That may be so...but, this cant be done without him".

"Are you so sure about that?"

"Yes. I need every member I can that I can trust...and I think he will join for his own reasons anyways".

Watchgate put down a file, a plan written on how to handle the current situation in Big Apple. Even among the reports of missing players, odd occurances, and other weird facts, this was even more important.

"Contact Hyzen. We need to start moving on this".

* * *

"So, how is it going?" Azato asked as he walked over to woman wearing a labcoat like coat, wearing some glasses, who was currently examining some plans.

"Well, given the amount you are paying for this, we are giving it all of our best material. I swear it as Elsa, Guildmaster of Star Corps".

Star Corps was a Guild famous for producing high quality items, gear, and always exploring for new recipes. They were pioneers, innovators. If Warrior GUilds such as Trueheart Legion and Knights of Wen were the guilds that tended to complete large scale raids first, it was Star Corps that discovered new recipes and gear first. In fact, from what Azato remembered from passing conversation, Elsa in real life ran a huge engineering and electronics school, and supposedly knew a large variety of things about inventing. Many people in her guild came from backgrounds like that, and a large number of her younger members were actually her students.

They were tasked with building the Guild Hall for Skyline Hunters. The two knew each other from doing various raids together, so they could have plenty of high quality materials stocked. She was also a rather nice person, and often checked on Azato's mental state. She was always impressed by how mature Azato was compared to others his age.

"By the way...how have you been doing? In your avatar?"

"Well, thankfully I set it to my current height. So, I have not had any issues so far...though, it feels weird having a tail".

The two looked back at his foxtail. It was small like he was, but as a result he had no pants that fit right. For awhile, he had to keep adjusting his pants to stop them from falling down, and underwear was totally impossible. In the game, the cosmetic appearances just adapted normally, but now that it was reality, and physics applied themselves, that did not happen. As a result, multiple players who were a race that had a tail were having issues with pants and underwear. Products were currently being designed to alleviate that, but right now, there were many players who had to wear large cloaks to cover their whole body to hide the fact they were naked from the waist down.

At the moment, Azato himself was using suspenders to keep them up. His tail bent up and over the outside of his shorts, and he had made a tear in his underwear to not impede his tail. However, even then, it was still fairly uncomfortable...clearly, creatures with tails were not meant to wear pants.

"Ah, yes...a few of my students who were Foxtails, Wolffangs, and Werecats have locked themselves in their own workshops not only to focus on working, but to...not have that discomfort and avoid embarrassment".

"Yeah..."

"That said, that wasn't what I actually meant. Its just, some time ago I remember you said something...well, you know".

Azato realized what she meant.

"Thankfully, that has not been an issue. It looks like our game avatars are truly new bodies, I haven't needed any medicine. And no one else has complained either".

"Alright, that's good...I suppose this Apocalypse has not been all bad then, huh?"

"...yeah, I suppose so".

"By the way, where are the rest of your Guild Members?"

Skyline Hunters currently had six members. The Foxtail Summoner with the Child Prodigy Subclass, Azato. The Human Assassin with the Elder Maid Subclass, Zats. The Human Monk with the Berserker Subclass, Samari Seis. The Wolffang Samurai with the Chef Subclass, Runzo. The Elf Bard with the Idol Subclass, Alari. And the Half-Alv Druid with the Artificer Subclass, Juni.

"Runzo was complaining about the same issue I was, and then Alari and Zats got some idea and ran off. They should be back any...minute...now..."

As he said that, the two of them turned and noticed the three in question arriving, but leaving aside how odd they looked, one of them had a very red and embarrassed face.

But that only made sense, because all three of them were wearing dresses. Runzo was the only one who looked embarrassed though, as his tail was dropping down behind him.

"...so, this was your solution? I suppose I shouldn't be too shocked".

Zats was someone who crossdressed constantly with his whole "Maid" thing, and Alari had no issue with it thanks to his own personality. Runzo however...was clearly embarrassed.

"Well, that's...a solution".

"Aww, dont be so shy. You can admit it, they all look cute".

"That is definently not what I am thinking!"

_Well, they do look kinda cute...like it works really well for them...but... _

"Oh, and we have one for you too!"

"Wait..what...hold on, stay back now! Ehhh?!"

Suddenly, the two of them pinned him down and pulled off all of his clothes until he was bare and on his back, before forcing him into the dress.

A few moments more, and now all of them were wearing dresses while Azato was completely red.

"Well...how does it feel..." Elsa mentioned with a bit of chuckling.

"Its super embarrassing...this is terrible" Azato said, his arms positioned defensively. It was true that he no longer felt physically uncomfortable, with his tail hanging freely down, but mentally this was humiliating, standing out in the open wearing a dress".

"Just think of it like a hospital gown!" Alari mentioned.

"Look at it this way...you all look unbelievably cute".

"Shut up!" Azato said, pressing down on the dress. They had even taken his underwear, since the tail even made that difficult. "Those clothes better be done soon..."

"Don't worry" she said, picking up their old clothes. "I will have the modifications done immediately with these, so you will be able to use your normal gear. I will also have some spares made for you as well".

ANd then, just as that was going on, the absolute last person Azato wanted to see showed up.

"...Azato?"

DAAAAAMMNNN IIIT! LOOK AWAY RIGHT NOW!"

Some time later, and eventually things had settled down as the two sides sat across from each other at a table. He was still pretty annoyed, but he had decided to hear Watchgate out for the sole reason of getting him to leave as soon as possible.

"...so, that is the conclusion you came to?"

"Yes. And I believe it would be impossible without you, as well as others".

"Im surprised. Given how your guild is setup, and with our backgrounds, I would think that you would have handled this yourself".

"We need this to be legitimate...and fair. We need a government".

Indeed, Watchgate was inviting Azato to join something he refered to as "The North Wen Senate", a Guild composed of GUildleaders across the city, from a wide variety of backgrounds, to help represent and provide order. In truth, Azato had been considering this as well. After seeing how The Family almost so easily got a large amount of people to side with them and join them, and become the central Guild in the city, there was no doubt that this was needed. Furthermore, there were other issues Azato had noticed, or had been asked to deal with, and this was the best method to do so.

"But still, given your backgrounds and authority, couldn't you have set yourself up as the government easily?"

"Indeed...but, at the same time, everyone here is from a democratic country. If I were to just announce myself and my guild the authority, we would be seen as Dictators, Monarchs, people would revolt, and then..."

"The Family would take advantage, and take over".

"Exactly. Which is why, we need a Council, a Senate, to look over things. To be a system of checks and balances. We need people to represent the smaller guilds and independent players as well, but we also need people who cant be corrupted and bought off by The Family".

"In other words, you want me".

"Not just you" he said, looking over at Elsa. "Elsa of Star Corps, as well as other Guild Leaders of major crafting guilds. Additionally, I have also asked Happy Quartz Alliance, and Silver Wing. Arcane Tower has shown interest as well".

"I see...so a major gathering then?"

"Indeed. We even managed to get someone from Miracle Moon, a more medium sized guild, to help us".

_So Secret Circle is in too huh? And Miracle Moon can play off any intelligence they get as being from rumors and gossip they overheard from their customers. Wonder if Samso will be there...or even Regalius himself._

"Which Crafting Guilds?"

"Market Square, and Astral Industries".

"I see...so including yourself, and unless you left someone out, that means we will have Aetherius, Star Corp, Market Square, Knights of Wen, Astral Industries, Skyline Hunters, Happy Quartz Alliance, Silver Wing, Arcane Tower, Trueheart Legion and Miracle Moon, for a total of eleven? And what, does that make you the Emperor, or President, or whatever?"

"Pretty much. This way, I will have the executive power to make quick and emergency decisions as needed, but also there will be a system of checks and balances, and we can be led by a group of people who have everyone's best interests in mind".

"It sounds like you already formed this government..."

"The concept is in place, but...I only convinced them to meet about forming it. So, what do you say?"

Azato considered everything for a moment. It was true that public order was deteriorating. Even with the revelation of food and such, this was true. Plus, no one would oppose Azato being on the council thanks to what happened earlier. Still...

"So when is this happening?"

"In a few hours".

Azato twitched a little.

"Can it be delayed? I have nothing to wear right now?"

"Cant you just put a hole in the pants or something? Is it really that problematic?"

"Yes, it is. People dont seem to understand where tails would be on a humanoid form, realistically. Its not on the actual waistline itself, but below it, right at the start of...well, that area...where...they meet...and all...you get the idea! Anyways, maybe, maybe that can work for Werecats, since their tails are narrow, but the tails of the Foxtails and Wolffangs are wider and more obstructive. Not only would the hole have to be massive, but since it gets narrower the closer it gets to our body..."

"You would basically be flashing everyone your butt".

"Yes! And if we try and wear it below that point, sufficiently enough to not obstruct, they will fall down several times in an hour, and that's if your lucky. And its really uncomfortable to endure just having it go up and over the waist because it still presses down on your body".

"I see...and I guess cutting it off isn't an option?"

"They regrow almost instantly. And it hurts like hell".

"I see...back when it was a game, the cosmetics just sorta glazed over that, but this world has physics that apply".

"Indeed".

"Well, no items or methods exist to change your race, or class even, but I am sure Elsa will find something in time. Or you could just wear that..."

He suddenly received a cold, dead stare from Azato.

"...I see, too much huh?"

"I still hate you".

"...right. Anyways, its better then going naked right?"

Azato thought about that for a moment...then kept thinking...then kept thinking...

"Do you hate being thought of as a girl that much?"

"Yes! Yes I do! It was bad enough when it happened in reality sometimes!"

"I see...well, I am sure it will be fine. Anyways, in the meantime, I suppose I should probably handle my other business. See you at the meeting!"

"Tsk..."

Azato jumped from the table, and started to leave.

"Elsa, let me know when they are ready! I need to walk off my anger!"

"Got it, sweetie!"

"Dont call me that!"

Azato decided to take a good long walk, though along the more isolated and less traveled routes to avoid being seen by many people. Especially since, according to the few he did, 'she' looked really cute in that summer dress. Azato was pretty sure he clearly looked like a boy, but apparently the dress threw everyone off. Also, apparently at some point, Zats had put a flower hairclip in his hair he was unaware of till recently. Apparently it was even a Magic Item that was useful, but still...

However, that was when he heard something coming from the distance. He went over to investigate, but as he turned the corner, he was grabbed from behind, and a cloth with a weird smell put over his face. A smell that was apparently designed to make him very, very sleepy...

* * *

"...can any of you get a hold of Azato?" Elsa said, worried as she was holding the finished product. "Considering how badly he wanted these done, I find it strange he is ignoring my calls".

Nao was also wearing his normal gear again, since Elsa helped adjust his gear as well. However, he could not get in touch with Azato either.

"I hope he is okay..."

* * *

Meanwhile, a white haired boy struggled and struggled, his hands tied behind his back and naked. But he was not the only one there...his little sister by one year was there as well, and so was another girl a year older then him. All of them had been kidnapped, and since their hands were tied, they could not activate their Return to Home spell.

As for how they had been kidnapped...it was rather simple. During the riots, someone who had started the game around the same time as them invited them into his zone. After offering them some tea, they drank it and ended up falling asleep, only to wake up like this. And given his voice, it did not match his avatar either...

And yet, right as they were struggling to get free, the man entered carrying in another girl in a dress. It seemed he had managed to kidnap...

"Summon: Sword Princess".

"Eh?"

It was almost in an instant, but the moment they went over the threshold, before the man even had time to say anything creepy, weird, revolting, or displaying evil intent, he was killed by a Level 90 Summon.

Azato landed on the ground, dusting himself off. "Idiot, going by appearances instead of checking one's status".

Indeed, Azato had only faked falling asleep. And he didn't wait for it to be all dramatic when he killed him because, not only was he already annoyed, but also he hated the fact he had to thanks Zats.

Hairclip of the Fairy Prince: Massively increased resistances to all ailments. A Phantasmal Class Item. This small hairclip, that looked like a flower in one's hair, was that sort of item.

He then looked over at the other three, and noticed they were looking at him with shock. In truth, many of them were feeling more then shock, but that was besides the point.

"...alright then, that is ONE kidnapper down anyways. So, who wants to get out of here before he gets back?"

Needless to say, everyone else agreed. However, after Azato had freed them, while they were getting their stuff, Azato noticed something about some documents he had.

"...what the hell..."

He quickly took them, before they all left. Right now, he just wanted to get back to Elsa and get those new clothes on.

* * *

"So you got kidnapped huh? Guess that means me and Samari are the only ones who have not been kidnapped yet".

"Shut up" he said, as he pulled the new shorts and underwear on. As expected of Elsa, she found a way to make it work and avoid all the problems. If physics was still a thing in this world, then they just needed material that did not operate on physics. And such, phantom cloth. Typically speaking, it was a cloth that was meant to hide secret passageways, doorways, and so on, blending in to whatever surface it was place next to. However, because it had so little use for players in the game, it was not something people immediately thought of, and even less had in stock.

Using phantom cloth, on the outside, it appeared physical. No one could just put their hand through and touch his butt, or see through it. But on the inside, things could go out, or even just stick out. With this, his tail could comfortable stick out of his shorts, while not having to be stuffed through a small hole and obstruct things, while also not flashing everyone. This would save Wolffangs and Foxtails everywhere from mental and physical torment.

"What is your plan for the meeting anyways?" Runzo asked.

"Well, this kind of thing really isn't my specialty" he said as he finished getting dressed in his combat gear. It was more formal looking then his casual outfit, and he had no actual formal clothes, so it would have to do.

"...you really expect us to believe that?"

"Not from my experience..."

"...staaaaaaarrreeeee".

"What?!"

"Azato, you have a knack for studying and reading people, as well as strategy".

"It comes from being left alone and playing a game that involves strategy and thinking after all".

"YOu really have no clue about your own strengths do you?"

"Okay okay! I will do my best, okay?" he said, as he took a step forward towards the Guild BUilding.

_Now...now its time for a new battle..._

* * *

"So he was attacked? The documents taken and the prisoners freed?" a man asked in the shadows.

"Yes, we confirmed this. Should we stop for now?"

"No, I need more test subjects. Bring more to me. I don't care how...and what of the documents?"

"Taken as well".

He sat there in silence for a moment, before speaking.

"Eliminate him immediately".

"But, he will just resurrect..."

"As in...bring him here".

"Ah...understood".

And so, even more plots turned in the shadows.


End file.
